It’s complicated: Bob Huggins and West Virginia Basketball

As this site approaches its one-year anniversary – more on that later this week – it feels almost surprising that it has taken this long to write about Bob Huggins. For those familiar with my work, that delay probably feels overdue. Read more: It’s complicated: Bob Huggins and West Virginia Basketball

Huggins is, unapologetically, one of the most beloved figures in West Virginia sports history. He embodies the everyman soul of a West Virginian – a Morgantown native coached by his father, a former player at West Virginia University, and ultimately the head coach who completed a long, winding basketball journey by returning to his alma mater. As a player, Huggins was never an NBA prospect or a star. He was a tough, physical guard who understood roles, defense, and accountability – traits that later became the foundation of his coaching identity.

Time heals

That is what makes the ending so difficult to reconcile. There was no fairy-tale conclusion. Following two well-documented incidents in 2023, the Huggins era at WVU came to an abrupt and painful close. Time has created a little distance from the emotion of it all. The basketball program has yet to fully recover, now operating under its third head coach since Huggins’ departure. What has been missing during that stretch is not a formal endorsement, nor a public campaign, but something simpler: Huggins’ support. It was never something the university asked for – but it was something the program needed. And this week, it finally arrived.

Don’t get it twisted – “Huggy Bear” has never disappeared from the community. He remains active around Morgantown, most notably through his annual Fish Fry, with proceeds benefiting the Norma Mae Huggins Cancer Endowment, named in honor of his mother, who passed away from colon cancer in 2003. Since its founding in 2013, the endowment has raised more than $20 million to support cancer research and care across West Virginia.

Related: WVU suffers disappointing home loss against Baylor

This year’s event included a familiar Huggins moment – auctioning off his 2010 Final Four ring for $20,000 – before turning his attention to the future of the program. From the Fish Fry stage, Huggins offered public praise for first-year head coach Ross Hodge, a moment that resonated more than it might have a year ago.

“We’re going to the Final Four again,” Huggins said, according to a tweet from U92 Sports Director Quinn Robie.

That may have been a little tongue-in-cheek, but perhaps Huggins sees a bit of himself in the new coach. Hodge has built his reputation on defense, toughness, and accountability. All traits that tend to reveal themselves more clearly once a coach has his own roster in place. That identity should come into focus with time.

Redemption

Having Huggins remain part of the basketball community at WVU matters for more than sentimental reasons. He is the most successful coach in program history, and his influence extends well beyond the court. In an era shaped by NIL, fundraising, and the transfer portal, relationships matter. Credibility matters. Connections matter. And having someone who can pick up the phone and call a longtime friend like Joe Manchin does not hurt when resources are needed to compete at a high level.

Huggins’ faults do not require defending – the DUIs, the mistakes, the moments that forced accountability were real, and they were wrong. But they were also painfully human, and in many ways familiar to the community that raised him. West Virginia has never been a place that pretends people are perfect; it is a place that believes growth is still possible, no matter the age or the stage. Learning from failure matters here. So does owning it. This is a state built on faith, family, and forgiveness. That is why the relationship between Huggins and West Virginia endures. Not because the story ended cleanly, but because it was real. And in this community, that still counts for something.