Better off with Huggins

Is Huggins better for WVU?  Yeah, he probably is.  Beilein's system was phenomenal with the right type and mixture of players.  The Freshman class that eventually took WVU to the elite 8 was basically a group of no-names that could shoot the lights out.  Herber had a tenacity for the hoop, Gansey (transfer from A-10 school St. Bonaventure) had a heart four sizes too big, and Collins averaged about 2 turnovers a game and Pittsnogle and Beilein could just flat out shoot!  This current team, most of which were here last year could not rebound, but this year they are winning the battle of the boards more often than not.  It is all a reflection on Huggins and his attitude and style.  Will Huggins remain loyal to WVU after he re-establishes his reputation?  Does it matter?  We need to start living in the here and now and stop worrying about the things that we cannot control.  There will always be someone out there with the capacity to offer our coaches more prestige or more money, but if we focus on how WVU has chosen to thrive in even these dark situations, and that we will continue to, then We will always have another "next-best-coach" to replace those that leave.

Nice original post, especially from a UConn fan.  I'm glad Huggins has us back in the big dance (already) where we belong.  Many more consecutive trips to come.   You have to expect that we will be even better when he gets "his" players in there......

WVU 69    Xavier 66

OU Tooo...As a man who has Ickey Woods as your Avatar I would think you would know better than to say Cincinnati fans were eager to dump Huggins.  UC President, Nancy Zimpher, was the one who wanted to get rid of Huggy Bear.  She was actually quoted as saying that Bob Huggins and Bob Knight epitomize everything that is wrong with college athletics.  And that was before she ever came to UC!  All you have to do is read some of the comments on Xavier, WVU, or UC threads and you see the support for Huggs.  No UC Fan wanted him to leave.

As a native Ohioan...it is my right to hate all things Michigan.

As a native Cincinnatian...it is my right to hate all things Cleveland.

As a UC Alumni...it is my right to hate all things Xavier.

Go Mountaineers. 

Watch out for my Bearcats...they will be much improved next year under Mick Cronin...who happens to be a pretty terrific recruiter in his own right.

I loved coach Beilein, andf the way his teams played.  These, by the way, are HIS players!  Huggins has simply made them play a tougher defensive style.  They still play way more open than Huggy's old Cincy thugs ever did.

I loved coach Beilein, andf the way his teams played.  These, by the way, are HIS players!  Huggins has simply made them play a tougher defensive style.  They still play way more open than Huggy's old Cincy thugs ever did.

WVU is trashy and has no sportsmanship whatsoever... I know stuff goes on and gets said in every game, but its another thing to bring that off the court and brag about it... i hate Duke with a passion, i love to see them lose. I have also lost a lot of respect for WVU over the years because of behavior like this. They have no class and are all trash. Keep your mouth shut and play basketball.

In the end its teams with classy people and classy coaches that are the ones who triumph... ... look at great coaches who have class and succeed: Roy Williams, Coach K, Gary Williams, Tubby Smith and many others... and then look at coaches like Georgetown's John Thompson III who has no class, is racist and is currently sitting at home watching the tournament.

how good of a coach is he really... to be honest i dont know much about him but it looks to me as if he is using INHERITED players... and part of being a coach is helping these kids become men (isn't that a common line among coaches) and that means teaching them character and class... it doesnt mean teach them to yell first, teach second, thats like fight first, think later.

I have seen so many great articles on this website but this one blows my mind... all it does is make WVU look more foolish than they are already perceived

Good job WVU. As a Badger fan, I love to see a non-traditional team do well in the NCAA's. It's nice to hear that Huggins has turned his life around, too. I thought he had no chance of surviving this long after what happened in Cincy, much less leading a team to the sweet sixteen. Harsh but true.

But...

Was the dig on the Big Ten really neccessary? "Lesser than Big East Conference?" C'mon. Adults know how to love themselves without hating others. Bear in mind that Michigan has been a Big Ten afterthought ever since the booster scandal. The Big Ten powers are Michigan State, Wisconsin and Illinois, and two of these teams are in the sweet sixteen, while Georgetown, Uconn, Notre Dame, Marquette and Pitt ain't.

If you're interested, a big part of the softness at the bottom of the Big Ten consists of teams in coaching transitions. Iowa (Lickliter), Minnesota(Tubby Smith) and Michigan(Bielein) will improve dramatically over the next year or two. I wouldn't expect anyone to love Bielein's Wolverines. I hate 'em as a matter of tradition. But you'd better watch out for them. Especially when the smell of sanctions and Tommy Amaker has worn off.

By next year the bottom of the Big Ten will stiffen up, and the top of the league will still be able to play with anyone. Then YOU'LL have to deal with a bunch of Michigan posters dumping on the Big East. Have fun with that.

Good Luck WVU!