MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — With Darian DeVries moving on to Indiana, it has to be asked. Social media has already lit up with the idea of legendary West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins potentially returning to take his seat on his stool on the sidelines at the WVU Coliseum.
Huggins, 71, would love this. Even in his advanced age, he would jump right out of his recliner today and make the short drive over from his home in Morgantown to his old office at WVU to reclaim his throne. He would see this as an opportunity for redemption, for his deserved second chance. Afterall, he is one of the most important figures in the history of the basketball program and really, in the entire state of West Virginia. He’s beloved by many and will have a huge group of people that would support his return.
But let me shut this down before it gets started. There’s a sub-zero chance of Bob Huggins returning as the head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers. None. Zip. It’s not happening. I’m a very open-minded person, but I can’t under any circumstances see this happening. Do I have to remind you how Huggins left the program?
Not only did he get arrested for drinking and driving in a West Virginia-owned vehicle while on a recruiting trip, he also handled the days after very poorly. He claimed that he hadn’t resigned from his position. He claimed that he was forced to resign. He claimed he didn’t sign a letter of resignation. It was later discovered that his wife signed it. He lawyered up and considered suing the university for wrongful termination. He literally did everything in his power to burn every possible bridge at the university and ruin any chance of ever returning again.
Which sucks. Because if he would have handled his terrible choices better, West Virginia University would have perhaps given him another chance, despite his outrageous behavior. Remember, not only did he drive drunk in WVU-owned vehicle, he also went on a radio station a week before and very casually used an incomprehensibly poor choice of words. He embarrassed himself and he embarrassed the university, and instead of concentrating on working to fix those mistakes and himself, he lashed out and further embarrassed himself and the university.
As a writer, there is nothing more that I would want than to see Bob Huggins return as the head coach of the Mountaineers. It would be the very best possible story that could happen for the state of West Virginia. Rich Rodriguez and Bob Huggins both back as the leaders of the Mountaineers, right where they belong at home. But unfortunately that will never happen. Bob Huggins ruined any chances of that happening when he went on that radio station in Cincinnati, when he decided to drive sloppy drunk and when he decided to blame everyone but himself for his actions.
No one would love to see it more than me, but you blew it big time, Bob.
