Three years after winning four games in his first season at Buffalo, men’s basketball head coach George Halcovage III believes that the Bulls finally have proof that his vision for the program can work.
UB improved from 4-27 (2-16 MAC) in Halcovage’s first season to 17-15 (7-11 MAC), a turnaround that preceded a contract extension for the former Villanova assistant. The extension keeps Halcovage through the 2029-2030 season. His original deal averaged $445,000 annually, while UB did not disclose financial terms of the extension.
For Halcovage, the extension provides stability for his family, where Buffalo has been their home since he took the job in 2023. Halcovage arrived in Buffalo while his wife was pregnant with their first child, who was born during the family’s first summer in Western New York and is now three years old.
“To be able to do it in a community like this, where my family now calls home, is really special,” Halcovage said.
Halcovage also gets more time to continue a rebuild that he believes took a significant step forward last season.
Last season served as a “proof of concept,” he said. The 13-win improvement showed Halcovage that UB’s approach to roster construction and player development could produce results.
“I thought our team last year really took a big step,” Halcovage said.
When asked where the program has made its greatest improvement since his arrival, Halcovage didn’t initially point to wins, player development or anything that happened on the court.
Rather, it was raising money. UB launched the 716 Club in July with $500,000 in initial commitments to support the men’s basketball program through operational and revenue-sharing efforts.
Halcovage said UB was behind in the name, image and likeness space (NIL) when he arrived and that increased financial support has become essential to attracting and retaining talent in modern college basketball; such as new transfers Michael Tyne and Drew Steffe.
“Last year was the first year that, since I was here, that we competed at the level we need to be competitive, even in our league,” Halcovage said. “I think we did a really good job last year of kind of moneyballing our roster with the funds we had.”
That roster helped the Bulls make a 13-win improvement from Halcovage’s first season, but he believes a lack of depth became increasingly difficult to overcome as injuries accumulated late in the year. Daniel Freitag missed nine games last season while dealing with an undisclosed injury.
“It wasn’t like we didn’t have enough talent,” Halcovage said. “We didn’t have the depth to sustain some injuries, unfortunate injuries that we had, especially down the stretch in the last 10 games.”
UB still isn’t where Halcovage wants it to be financially, but he believes the program is moving closer.
“We’re not exactly in the spot we want to be yet with the NIL, but we’re in a better spot, so we should be able to compete at another level and sustain that and maintain it,” Halcovage said.
The Bulls will now have to sustain their progress without star guards Ryan Sabol and Freitag, who departed through the transfer portal.
Halcovage believes UB can replace that production through another collection of transfers, returning players and newcomers. Following a similar developmental model to the one that helped last year’s roster exceed the results of his first two seasons.
“You gotta go find really good players to replace those good guys, which I think we did,” Holcavage said.
One of UB’s most prominent additions is Baldwinsville native J.J. Starling, a former five-star prospect who previously played at Notre Dame and Syracuse. Starling is awaiting a decision on his eligibility for a fifth collegiate season.
If Starling is cleared, Halcovage believes his experience could immediately benefit a new-look Bulls backcourt.
“To have a four-year starter from the high-major level, you know, he’s seen it all,” Halcovage said. “He’s been in every environment. So he’s not gonna be fazed by anything just because of his experience.”
Halcovage said Starling could provide leadership, size and versatility on both floors and believes the guard wants to help UB “compete to win a MAC championship.”
Player development has been central to Halcovage’s coaching career. Before taking over at UB, he spent 15 seasons at Villanova, where he worked with future NBA champions including Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges.
Halcovage also believes that experience has influenced the standards he now sets for Buffalo’s guards.
“The best guards are the toughest guards,” Halcovage said. “We always pride ourselves on getting those guys to understand they have to be tough and physical on both ends of the floor.”
Halcovage believes last season showed that those principles can translate into success at Buffalo. But after going from four wins to 17, his expectations are no longer simply about showing improvement.
“I think we’re going to be able to compete in our league,” Halcovage said. “We did last year. We competed with everybody.”
With a new contract, increased resources and another rebuilt roster, Halcovage now has the opportunity to find out how much further that progress can take the Bulls.
Will Meyer is the senior sports editor and can be reached at will.meyer@ubspectrum.com.
