BUFFALO, NY - First-year men's basketball head coach Nate Oats has been named one of ten finalists for the Joe B. Hall award, which is given to the nation's top first-year head coach.
Oats led the Bulls to a 20-win season and their second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament after a thrilling run through the Mid-American Conference Tournament, which culminated in the Bulls cutting down the nets in Cleveland. He became the first UB head coach ever to win 20 games in his first season and mentored a UB squad that became the first MAC team to repeat as tournament champions since 2001 & 2002.