Morgantown, West Virginia – During every West Virginia basketball game, commentators express shock and dismay with the fact that Bob Huggins has not been inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Huggins, who currently has 911 career wins, is once again an eligible candidate for this year’s Hall of Fame class.
.@CoachHuggs announced as eligible for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2022#22HoopClass | #Huggs4Hall https://t.co/rL4aQ9Xipn pic.twitter.com/GJlqd2iATa
— WVU Men's Basketball (@WVUhoops) December 21, 2021
Although Huggins has been nominated several times previously, and many feel that he should have already been inducted, this really feels like the year that it will actually happen.
According to the Basketball Hall of Fame website, “finalists for the Class of 2022 will be announced in the time frame of the NBA All Star Weekend, which is scheduled for February 20th.
In 40 years of coaching, Huggins has built an incredible coaching resume, but there are a couple of things that could be preventing him from being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
#1 – Huggins is one of only ten coaches in college basketball history with 800 or more victories, he’s been to 24 NCAA tournaments, has led his teams to nine Sweet Sixteen appearances, four Elite Eights and two Final Fours, but he has never won a national championship, which is ultimately what separates him from Roy Williams, Jim Calhoun, Bob Knight, Jim Boeheim and Coach K.
In addition, while he recently passed Adolph Rupp and Dean Smith in total career win, they both have three national championships between them.
#2 – Although Huggins has led one of the cleanest basketball programs in the nation, his embarrassing dismissal from Cincinnati following a drunk and driving arrest back in 2005 has been a permanent black eye on his otherwise flawless record as a head coach.
This, of course, is unfortunate, but the Hall of Fame expects their candidates to be pillars on and off the court. With that said, could one bad night 15 years ago really be the determining factor of what he’s done on and off the court during rest of his long and illustrious career?
A lack of a national championship and the arrest in 2005 are the only two possible explanations for him not being inducted by now. However, numbers don’t lie and Bob Huggins has produced wins better than almost anyone in the history of the game.
With that said, I fully expect Bob Huggins to be inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame in the class of 2022, finally putting an end to the legendary coach being overlooked.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Ballot
* Indicates First-Time Nominee
North American Committee Nominations
Ken Anderson (COA)
Fletcher Arritt (COA)
Johnny Bach (COA)
Gene Bess (COA)
Chauncey Billups (PLA)
Rick Byrd (COA)
Muggsy Bogues (PLA)
Irv Brown (REF)
Jim Burch (REF)
Marcus Camby (PLA)
Tom Chambers (PLA)*
John Clougherty (REF)*
Michael Cooper (PLA)
Joey Crawford (REF)*
Jack Curran (COA)
Mark Eaton (PLA)
Cliff Ellis (COA)
Hugh Evans (REF)
Michael Finley (PLA)
Steve Fisher (COA)
Manu Ginobili (PLA)*
Leonard Hamilton (COA)
Richard Hamilton (PLA)
Tim Hardaway (PLA)
Lou Henson (COA)
Ed Hightower (REF)
David Hixon (COA)*
Bob Huggins (COA)
Mark Jackson (PLA)
Herman Johnson (COA)
Marques Johnson (PLA)
George Karl (COA)
Gene Keady (COA)
Ken Kern (COA)
Shawn Marion (PLA)
Rollie Massimino (COA)
Bob McKillop (COA)
Danny Miles (COA)
Steve Moore (COA)
Dick Motta (COA)
Jake O’Donnell (REF)
Jere Quinn (COA)
Jim Phelan (COA)
Digger Phelps (COA)
Lamont Robinson (PLA)
Bo Ryan (COA)
Bob Saulsbury (COA)
Norm Sloan (COA)
Willie West (COA)
Buck Williams (PLA)
John Williamson (PLA)
Paul Westhead (COA)
Women’s Committee Nominations
Leta Andrews (COA)
Jennifer Azzi (PLA)
Gary Blair (COA)*
Swin Cash (PLA)
Becky Hammon (PLA)
Susie McConnell (PLA)
Debbie Miller-Palmore (PLA)
Kim Mulkey (PLA)
Marianne Stanley (COA)
Valerie Still (PLA)
Marian Washington (COA)
Lindsey Whalen (PLA)*
