Hurley's move gives Geneva's Navigato points to ponder

The end of the college basketball season heralds the start of coach-jumping season, and one move may affect Geneva senior Nate Navigato.

The 6-foot-8 guard-forward had committed to the University of Buffalo during a Sept. 16 visit to Geneva by Buffalo head coach Bobby Hurley and lead assistant Nate Oats. Navigato signed his Letter of Intent to Buffalo in February.

When on Thursday Hurley accepted the head men's coaching position at Arizona State it suddenly introduced uncertainty to Navigato's future.

"Yeah, we're back on the roller coaster," Dan Navigato, Nate's father, wrote in an email to the Daily Herald.

At the time Nate Navigato committed in September he had offers from Buffalo, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Bucknell, Air Force, Dartmouth, South Dakota State, Lehigh, Toledo, Northern Illinois and University of Illinois-Chicago.

At this point none of those programs are givens for his return should he opt out of Buffalo, but Dan Navigato said coaches had started to inquire again regarding his son's interest.

It's possible Hurley could offer the Geneva star a scholarship to Arizona State, and also that he remains headed to Buffalo. On Thursday night Oats, quickly named Buffalo's interim head coach, called Navigato at home "and was very positive," his father said.

Nate Navigato, the Daily Herald's Tri-Cities All-Area co-captain with St. Charles East's Cole Gentry, is Geneva's all-time leader in scoring, assists, blocks, steals and 3-point baskets. This season he averaged 20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals while leading Geneva to fourth-place in Class 4A.

"We told Nate that it was much better that this happened now, rather than a year or two down the road," Dan Navigato said.