MORGANTOWN, West Virginia —Â The West Virginia Mountaineers will have a new head coach on its bench next season after Bob Huggins announced his resignation and retirement following his DUI arrest.
Here are the realistic (and perhaps unrealistic) options that West Virginia will consider as Huggins’ replacement:
Favorite(s)
1A – Andy Kennedy, Head Coach, UABÂ
Why Andy Kennedy? Kennedy, 55, is a Huggins’ protege and was an assistant under him at Cincinnati. Since becoming a head coach, Kennedy led Ole Miss and UAB and has accumulated a 344-194 overall record. In his last 3 seasons at UAB, Kennedy has gone 22-7, 27-8 and 29-10. Kennedy is an outstanding coach and an even better recruiter.
Why Not Andy Kennedy? Like previously stated, Kennedy is a Huggins’ protege and West Virginia University might not be inclined to hire someone associated with Huggins.
1B – Ben McCollum, Head Coach, NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY
Why Ben McCollum? McCollum, 42, has a 334-83 overall record, was named the NABC Division II National Coach of the Year, the 2021 NABC Division II National Coach of the Year, has won 4 out of the last 5 NCAA DII national championships and has not lost an NCAA tournament game since 2018. Wren Baker hired him previously and knows what a tremendous head coach he is.
Why Not Ben McCollum? No Power 5 Conference experience.
Swing For the Fences
John Beilein, former head coach at West Virginia and Michigan
Why John Beilein? Beilein, 70, led West Virginia to the Elite 8 and the Sweet 16 in back to back seasons, and the Mountaineers had some of their most exciting years under him.
Why Not John Beilein? He’s 70 years old and reportedly very happy with retirement. If he were to come back, it would not be a long-term solution for the program.
Joe Mazzulla, Head Coach, Boston Celtics
Why Joe Mazzulla? Mazzulla, a former point guard for the Mountaineers, led the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals in his first season as a head coach with the team. He’s one of the hottest young coaches in basketball.
Why Not Joe Mazzulla? Mazzulla has stated in past interviews that he is not interested in coaching at the college level and would like to remain in the NBA.
Known CommoditiesÂ
Jerrod Calhoun, Head Coach, Youngstown StateÂ
Why Jerrod Calhoun? Another Huggins’ protege who has been successful as a head coach at Fairmont State and now at Youngstown State. Calhoun, 41, is young and hungry and this would be his dream job.
Why Not Jerrod Calhoun? No Power 5 head coaching experience. The job might be too big for him at this stage in his career.
Josh Eilert or DerMarr Johnson, Assistant Coaches, West Virginia UniversityÂ
Why Eilert or Johnson? Hiring internally by promoting one of the assistant coaches is perhaps the best way to keep the talented roster together.
Why Not Eilert or Johnson? Neither Eilert or Johnson have ever been a head coach at the college level.
