Jeff Borzello, ESPN staff writer June 18, 2023 1:45 pm ET
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- Basketball Recruitment Insider.
- Joined ESPN in 2014.
- Graduated from the University of Delaware.
After a six-week period in which his status was threatened twice, Bob Huggins’ era in West Virginia officially ended on Saturday night when he released a statement declaring that he intended to step down as the Mountaineers head coach and retire to go.
Huggins ends his Morgantown career with a complicated legacy. He played two seasons of college ball for West Virginia, then spent a season as a college assistant before returning 29 years later as his alma mater’s head coach. Huggins led the Mountaineers to the NCAA tournament 11 times in 16 seasons and made the Sweet 16 five times — including a Final Four heat in 2010.
But it ended with two controversies in less than two months. Six weeks ago, Huggins was suspended for three games and took a $1 million pay cut after he used a homophobic slur in an interview at a Cincinnati radio station. And then, on Friday night, Huggins was arrested in Pittsburgh for drunk driving. According to a police report, a breath test showed Huggin’s blood alcohol content to be 0.21%.
How Huggins — who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022 and led Cincinnati to 11 consecutive NCAA tournaments before retiring — is remembered remains a matter of controversy. But now West Virginia needs to move on quickly at an awkward time on the college basketball calendar.
Here are the biggest questions after Huggins’ retirement.
Why did West Virginia and Huggins decide to move on now?
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When Huggins was suspended for using a homophobic slur on the radio, the university changed his contract to make it easier for him to leave without owing a significant sum of money. Essentially, his contract was a one-year contract, which is extremely unusual at the highest levels of college basketball. Shortly after news of Huggins’ arrest broke early Saturday morning, it became clear that it would be difficult for West Virginia to bring him back as head coach.
Had the incident never happened six weeks ago, it might have been different. But drinking and driving less than two months after his suspension over another controversy left only one path forward.
What will happen to the West Virginia squad?
In recent seasons there has been speculation that Huggins is about to retire. In fact, the perception in the industry was that the 2023-24 season could be his final season as head coach. As a result, West Virginia went all-in on the transfer portal this spring, bringing in three hitters — Syracuse’s Jesse Edwards, Arizona’s Kerr Kriisa and Montana States RaeQuan Battle — and two Manhattan transfers that fell out last season. Starter Tre Mitchell and sixth man Joe Toussaint also returned, giving the Mountaineers a borderline top-25 team from last season.
This squad is now completely in limbo. NCAA rules allow student athletes a 30-day extension to access the transfer portal after a coach change. Even though the student transfer window has closed, some players in the squad are still able to leave. The two biggest names are likely to be Edwards and Kriisa, neither of whom require an exemption as a first-time transfer and both could start on almost any program in the country.
How good is the job in West Virginia?
Perception has only improved in recent months, thanks largely to West Virginia’s NIL infrastructure. The Country Roads Trust is well funded and the Mountaineers’ elite entry level is a testament to how effective they can be in the recruitment process. The program also has one of the best fan bases in the sport, is the biggest attraction in the state, and has had consistent success under multiple coaches. Also, she plays in a league that has prioritized basketball and seems to have solid foundations going forward.
Morgantown is a unique location within the Big 12: West Virginia has not typically recruited within the league’s sphere of influence, and its recruiting base allows it to oversee a number of areas effectively. The program can recruit from New Jersey and Philadelphia, Maryland and Washington, DC, and of course Ohio and the Midwest to recruit players.
Which coach could the Mountaineers turn to next?
Everything indicates that West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker wants a permanent replacement rather than just an interim for the upcoming season.
The biggest question is whether he’ll be able to sign coaches from Huggins’ coaching roster – namely, UAB’s Andy Kennedy and Youngstown State’s Jerrod Calhoun. Kennedy spent four seasons under Huggins in Cincinnati and then served as interim coach of the Bearcats after Huggins retired in 2005. Calhoun, meanwhile, has caught the eye nationally after guiding Youngstown State to the Horizon League regular-season title last season. He was a student assistant at Huggins in Cincinnati and then served on his staff in West Virginia for five seasons. South Carolina state head coach Erik Martin, who spent 15 seasons as an assistant at West Virginia, also falls into this category.
Outside the Huggins tree, it might be worth giving Wake Forest’s Steve Forbes or Mississippi State’s Chris Jans a try, two coaches who were briefly linked to other jobs in the spring.
What would have been a difficult chase anyway is made even more difficult by the timing.
More realistically, Baker might take a look at Charleston’s Pat Kelsey, Ohio’s Jeff Boals, Kent State’s Rob Senderoff, Akron’s John Groce, Toledo’s Tod Kowalczyk, Furman’s Bob Richey, Liberty’s Ritchie McKay, UNC Asheville’s Mike Morrell and Takayo Siddle throw by UNC Wilmington. Northwest Missouri State’s Ben McCollum, the Division II’s winningest coach, will also be linked with the job; Baker was his athletic director from 2010 to 2013.
As for currently unemployed coaches, Chris Mack could make sense given his past track record. LaVall Jordan has a wealth of experience in the high major. And then there’s John Beilein, who spent five seasons in West Virginia and led the Mountaineers to two Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight before moving to Michigan in 2007. Would Baker bring him back? It seems unlikely, but it’s worth noting.