Less than six years ago, University of Buffalo men’s basketball coach Nate Oats was teaching math and coaching high school basketball in Detroit. Fast forward to today and he is one of the hottest coaches in college basketball, leading the Buffalo Bulls to three NCAA tournament appearances in four seasons as head coach. On this episode, we talk about his unconventional rise to the top of the coaching world, managing the expectations that come with success, and how he’s built a winning culture at Buffalo rooted in the core values of max effort, continuous growth and selfless love.
Follow Nate: Twitter
Show Notes
- Nate’s unconventional route to Division I college basketball coach and how coaching high school basketball prepared him differently (1:30)
- How success in the NCAA Tournament has prepared the Buffalo Bulls for March and validated the program (5:30)
- The mentality it takes going from underdog to favorite (7:38)
- How his leadership philosophy has evolved over his coaching career (8:51)
- Buffalo’s culture playbook and core values: max effort, continuous growth and selfless love (15:21)
- Defining the “above the line” behavior- focused, productive, and driven (21:15)
- Cultivating the blue-collar mentality in every player (22:48)
- His recruiting pitch to prospective student-athletes (25:12)
- How his wife’s battle with cancer changed him as a person and a coach (29:16)
- The most important leadership lesson he has learned in the last 5 years (32:29)
Resources / People Mentioned
- University of Buffalo men’s basketball
- Nate Oats Named Semifinalist for Naismith Coach of the Year
- Buffalo scores upset win over Arizona
- Marinatha Baptist University men’s basketball
- University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men’s basketball
- Romulus High School
- Above the Line by Urban Meyer
- Tim Kight and Brian Kight
- Focus 3
- Lindsey Hunter
- Dontay Caruthers, University of Buffalo
- Tom Izzo, Michigan State University
- John Beilein, University of Michigan
- Jim Harbaugh, University of Michigan
- Bobby Hurley, Arizona State University
- Jon Gordon, author
- CJ Massinburg, University of Buffalo
- Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics
Recommended For You
Did you enjoy this episode? Then listen to:
- Tom Izzo on Maximizing Your Team’s Potential
- Herm Edwards on You Play to Win the Game
- Dabo Swinney on Leading from the Heart
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