Nate Oats hoping to lure top recruiter and assistant Bryan Hodgson away from UB

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Photo credit Photo: Steven Branscombe - USA TODAY Sports
With Nate Oats taking the head coaching gig for Alabama, the University at Buffalo has some big shoes to fill. UB men’s basketball assistant coach Bryan Hodgson may be the main candidate to fill the Bulls’ head coach vacancy.

Source: Buffalo assistant Bryan Hodgson will be a serious candidate for its head coaching vacancy. Hodgson recruited all 4 signees & 7 of the 8 returners.

— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) March 27, 2019

Nate Oats said during his introductory press conference at Alabama that Hodgson would be joining his staff in Tuscaloosa barring any measures taken by Buffalo to prevent it. Likely meaning it's either the UB head coaching job or a job as an Alabama assistant coach for Hodgson.

Nate Oats said Buffalo assistant Bryan Hodgson will be joining him at Alabama unless he gets the head coaching job in New York.

— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) March 28, 2019

Hodgson would be entering his fifth year on UB’s coaching staff, a tenure which has led to him taking over the program’s recruiting duties.

Hodgson was responsible for recruiting all four 2019 UB commits, including three-star small forward Noah Williams. Of the eight players that could return to the team in 2019, he recruited seven, including guard Jeremy Harris and 2016-17 MAC Defensive Player of the Year Dontay Caruthers.

Hodgson was an assistant at Midland College in Midland, Texas before joining Oats’ staff in 2015. The Olean native has also spent time coaching at summer camps with schools such as Duke, Michigan State and Syracuse.