Bob Huggins has been the Head Coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers since 2007. Thirteen years ago, Huggins came home and has certainly been very successful since arriving in Morgantown. No one is more appreciative of his efforts, nor more proud to call him the Head Coach of the Mountaineers than me.
With that said, Bob Huggins has certainly not been perfect. I realize that that is blasphemous to say to West Virginia fans, but it’s also the reality. I released an article about a month ago on this very subject and challenged readers to find one example where a member of the West Virginia media said anything constructively critical of Huggins during his thirteen years in Morgantown. For this, I would send them $100 via CashApp, PayPal or Venmo for their troubles.
Not one person sent me an article. I was labeled a “Huggins hater”, “anti-WVU”, etc., but not one reader could provide a single example of the media saying anything but glowing things about Bob Huggins.
But this article isn’t about Bob Huggins. This article is about the weak, passive sports media members in West Virginia. Huggins is a big boy and can handle himself. He doesn’t need to be coddled or pampered. He can take criticism. So why doesn’t the media ask him the tough questions or challenge him in any way?
Journalism in the state of West Virginia is antiquated and behind by about 50 years. Being critical of a coach or a team is part of being a journalist and it’s certainly a part of being a fan. Journalists are supposed to have an opinion. West Virginia “journalists” are spineless and a monkey could do their jobs.
You mean to tell me that not one journalist in the state of West Virginia could find one thing wrong with what Huggins was doing during the dreadful 2018-2019 15-21 record season? Not one? Was it really only the players not being able to make baskets? Was it truly only about the lack of leadership in the locker room? And if so, shouldn’t Huggins share some of the responsibility for this since he recruited these very players to play for the Mountaineers? Huggins’ substitution patterns or the way he handles postgame interviews really don’t deserve some constructive criticism?
West Virginia sports is fascinating for a variety of reasons, but specifically because they are the most blindly loyal fans in the world. While most coaches around the country face intense criticism and answers to tough questions, West Virginia fans are very willing to listen to Bob Huggins drone on about his players’ problems without taking any responsibility for losses or Neal Brown’s “trust the climb.” It’s all about blind faith and blind faith is very difficult for an intelligent person to be comfortable with.
Again, this isn’t about Bob Huggins or Neal Brown, both coaches who I’m endlessly proud to call the leaders of the West Virginia sports programs. Make no mistake about it, just because I’m challenging the status quo, my pride in being a Mountaineer is boundless.
I’m asking you to look into your heart and ask yourself, “Isn’t it strange that there hasn’t been one other journalist that has said a negative thing about Bob Huggins in the past 13 years? Isn’t that bizarre?”
Having said that, I will immediately send you $100 via CashApp, PayPal or Venmo if you send me an article that was critical of Huggins (to quote our Governor) in any way, shape, form or fashion.
