MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — While Bob Huggins was forced to resign after making inappropriate remarks on a Cincinnati radio station and then weeks later, being arrested for a DUI, he is still the 3rd winningest head coach in the history of college basketball and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, and by all accounts, still wants to to coach basketball at the age of 70.
Bob Huggins loves the game of basketball and he’s clearly still passionate about coaching, and there will be a basketball program who wants to win that will give him the opportunity to get back into the game. While his name has been tossed around at places like Louisville or Ohio State, it’s unlikely that a top program will offer him their head coaching position given his recent history and those programs’ unlimited options. However, a place like the University of Texas at San Antonio, which currently has an opening and reportedly has some mutual interest with Huggins, could be a potential landing spot for Huggins to revive his career and to get back into the game that he loves so much.
With that said, I’ve heard that Huggins really is comfortable in West Virginia and although he’s bored without working, leaving his home at 70 years old might seem like a huge leap to make. I believe it would take a very, very special opening for him to seriously consider listening to an offer. If, for example, Cincinnati fired current head coach Wes Miller and there was a huge push to bring Huggins back to coach the Bearcats, I could see that happening. West Virginia is Huggins’ home, but he also loves Cincinnati and an opportunity to finish his career where he dominated for so long (399-127 record, .759 winning percentage) would be very difficult to turn down.
All things considered, I think it’s unlikely that Bob Huggins will coach again, although I think he would be wildly successful if he did. He has proven time and time again that he can turn a program around and lead a team to a successful run in the NCAA Tournament, but the exact right situation would have to open for him to get back into the game he loves so much.
