For the third straight offseason, West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker will be conducting a search for the men’s basketball head coaching position. A couple of years ago, he ran an accelerated search following the resignation of Bob Huggins but decided to go the interim route with Josh Eilert for a year.
At this point, Baker knows who the up-and-coming coaches are and has spoken with many prospective candidates. Those conversations will continue in the near future, but former Mountaineer forward Emmitt Matthews Jr. suggests bringing Huggins back.
just bring huggs back at this point
— Emmitt Matthews Jr. (@THEDOOSKIE) March 18, 2025
The likelihood of this happening is slim to none. It wasn’t the cleanest departure by any means, and it’s relatively fresh in the minds of the decision-makers at the university. Time does heal all wounds, as we’ve seen on the football side with Rich Rodriguez. The difference there, though, is 17 years.
While it would be a cool story to see Huggins return as the head coach of his alma mater, reach the 1,000-win mark, try to bring home the school’s first national championship, and get a more proper send-off, it’s unlikely any of that comes to fruition.
As unfortunate of an ending it was to Huggins’ tenure at West Virginia, his legacy will always be remembered. He took the Mountaineers to the Final Four in 2010, multiple Sweet Sixteens, three straight Big 12 championship appearances, helped build a state-of-the-art practice facility, and raised millions of dollars for cancer research.
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