Bob Huggins and former West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries didn’t form a connection during DeVries’ one year in Morgantown, and there could be a variety of reasons for this.
Huggins might have preferred to avoid adding more pressure by being involved, he may not have supported the hiring decision and had strong feelings about it, or perhaps there simply wasn’t much interest from either side in fostering that relationship.
New head coach Ross Hodge made it pretty clear in an interview with CBS Sports that he hopes to forge a connection with the legendary Mountaineer head coach.
“I haven’t yet,” Hodge said when asked if he’s talked to Huggins yet. “I certainly am hopeful that we will get a chance to get connected. He did so much not only for the program and the university, but he did so much for the state of West Virginia throughout his tenure. We played against West Virginia in 2021, and it was post-COVID, so there wasn’t fans here, we were kind of in and out. I had not seen the practice facility, my office, I hadn’t seen any of this until I actually came up for the press conference, and I was blown away at how nice this place is. A large credit to Coach Huggins, the people that supported him, and it’s not something that I take lightly – the history of West Virginia basketball. Jerry West, Rod Thorn, Hot Rod Hundley, Coach (John) Beilein, Coach (Gale) Catlett, Coach Huggins – it’s something you definitely feel. Every day I step foot in this office, I have a great level of appreciation and gratitude for what Coach Huggins did while he was here.”
Jon Rothstein then followed up by asking how he plans to move forward and build his own thing in Morgantown while also continuing to recognize Huggins for the legend that he is.
“Time helps some people, and time hurts some people. I would certainly hope that time will help us, and the more time Coach gets to see how we play, get a chance to meet myself…I think he’ll appreciate the way that we play the game. The toughness, the grit, the togetherness…I think it’s something not only he, but the rest of the state of West Virginia can get behind and really appreciate.”
Although Bob Huggins is no longer directly involved, his public support for the new head coach and program will play a key role in getting the team back on track. The past few months have clearly been a whirlwind for Hodge, with him dedicating long hours to recruiting, assembling his staff, and helping his family settle into their new home. Once things calm down a bit, there will be a chance for him and Huggins to connect.
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