A Legacy on the Hardwood: Exploring the History of West Virginia University Basketball Coaches

West Virginia University (WVU) boasts a rich history in college basketball, marked by passionate fans, memorable moments, and a lineage of coaches who have shaped the program. From early pioneers to modern strategists, these leaders have strived to bring success to the Mountaineers. This article delves into the history of WVU basketball coaches, highlighting key figures and their contributions to the program's legacy.

Early Years and the Rise of Mountaineer Basketball

The modern era of West Virginia basketball history began in 1955, with the emergence of sophomore guard Hot Rod Hundley and newly appointed head coach Fred Schaus. The Mountaineers finished with a 19-11 record and earned the first NCAA tournament appearance in school history under Hundley's lead. The team entered the tournament with a #19 ranking, the first Top 20 ranking in school history.

Fred Schaus Era (1954-1960)

After Hot Rod Hundley's graduation and departure to the NBA, sophomore guard Jerry West emerged for the Mountaineers and Fred Schaus. In his rookie collegiate season, West helped the Mountaineers to a 26-2 record, with a 12-0 conference record. The Mountaineers began the season with a #8 ranking, as they earned defeats over Penn State, #19 Richmond, and a 77-70 victory over #5 Kentucky in the Kentucky Invitational Tournament. The following game, the Mountaineers upset the #1-ranked nationally North Carolina, 75-65, to win the Kentucky Tourney.

In the 1960 season following their NCAA tournament championship loss, West led the Mountaineers to a 26-5 record as a senior. The team posted eight straight wins before being ranked, including victories over Tennessee, Richmond, and Kentucky to win the Kentucky Invitational Tournament.

George King Takes the Reins (1960-1965)

After the departure of Jerry West to the NBA draft, sophomore guard Rod Thorn stepped in to fill his place for new head coach George King, much like West did when star guard Hot Rod Hundley graduated for former head coach Fred Schaus in 1958. Thorn helped the Mountaineers to a 23-4 record, 11-1 in conference. Their highest ranking of the season came in the Southern Conference tournament, where they finished it out with a #8 ranking as they lost the Championship for the first time in four years.

In Thorn's final season as a Mountaineer, effectively ending the era of WVU basketball, the team posted a 23-8 record with an 11-2 conference record. The team began the season ranked #5, but would end the season with unranked with a loss in the NCAA tournament semi-finals and a victory in the Regional Third Place matchup over #9 New York University.

The John Beilein Era (2002-2007)

John Beilein, who has won 447 career games and ranks among the Top 30 in victories among active Division I head coaches, has been named West Virginia Universitys 20th head basketball coach, WVU athletic director Ed Pastilong announced today. Beilein (pronounced bee-line), a 1975 Wheeling Jesuit graduate who has been serving as head coach at Richmond, replaces retired coach Gale Catlett.

In 2000-01, Beilein led Richmond to a 22-7 mark, captured the regular season crown in the Colonial Athletic Association and advanced to postseason play in the NIT . That season, Richmond boasted the 10th best scoring defense in the country, holding its opponents to 60.8 points per contest. In his first year at Richmond, Beilein orchestrated one of the most memorable campaigns in program history, leading the Spiders to a 23-win season, a CAA title and an NCAA tournament appearance.

Prior to arriving at Richmond, Beilein spent five years as the head coach at Canisius. During his tenure with the Golden Griffins, Beilein led the team to three consecutive postseason appearances, including the 1996 NCAA tournament.

A few days after WVU won the 2007 National Invitation Tournament, coach John Beilein announced he would be leaving the school to accept a head coaching job with Michigan.

Read also: Explore CFK

Bob Huggins: A Mountaineer Legend (2007-2023)

On April 5, 2007, Morgantown native Bob Huggins was resigning his post at Kansas State to take the vacant head coaching job at WVU. Huggins, nicknamed "Huggy Bear", is an American former college basketball coach. He was the head coach at Walsh, Akron, Cincinnati, Kansas State, and West Virginia. Huggins is the sixth men's college basketball coach with 900 or more career victories. As of March 2021, Huggins has averaged 23 wins per season over the course of his career.

Huggins began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at West Virginia under Gardner in 1977. He then spent two years as an assistant to Eldon Miller at Ohio State University. Huggins was 27 when he became a collegiate head coach for the first time, at Walsh University in 1980.

Coaching Career Before WVU

Huggins was the head coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats from 1989 to 2005. When Huggins was hired, the Bearcats had not earned a bid to the NCAA tournament since 1977. Overall, Huggins compiled a 399-127 record (.759) in his 16 years at Cincinnati, making him the winningest basketball coach in the school's history. Huggins directed Cincinnati to ten conference regular-season titles and eight league tournament titles.

After spending a year out of the coaching profession, on March 23, 2006, Huggins accepted the head coaching job at Kansas State University, replacing the fired Jim Wooldridge. In his sole season at Kansas State, Huggins coached the Wildcats to a 23-12 overall record, and a 10-6 Big 12 record.

Return to His Alma Mater

On December 22, 2007, Huggins won his 600th game, on the road against Canisius. The Mountaineers were the 7th seed in the West region of the NCAA tournament where they defeated 2nd-seeded Duke 73-67 to move into the Sweet Sixteen, ending a streak of consecutive Sweet 16 appearances for Duke that had begun in 1997. West Virginia finished the season ranked 17th in the AP poll.

During the 2009-10 season, West Virginia won a school-record 31 games. The team won the Big East tournament for the first time. In the 2010-11 season, the Mountaineers made it to the third round of the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Kentucky, 71-63. The 2012-13 season was the first for the Mountaineers in the Big 12 Conference.

Huggins is credited with the introduction of "Press Virginia", a pressing defense that helped the team win 14 of its first 15 games in the 2014-15 season.

In 2021, West Virginia defeated 14th seed Morehead State in the NCAA tournament before losing in a three-point upset to Jim Boeheim's Syracuse Orange in the second round. The Mountaineers' win over Morehead State was also Bob Huggins' 900th career victory. On November 18, 2021, Huggins earned his 903rd career victory by defeating Elon in the quarterfinals of the Charleston Classic, passing Bob Knight all-time among Division I coaches and tying Roy Williams for fourth all-time.

Departure from WVU

On June 16, 2023, Huggins was arrested in Pittsburgh and charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol. On June 17, 2023, Huggins released a statement announcing his resignation from West Virginia.

The Future: Ross Hodge Takes the Helm

After leaving the head coaching position at WVU, Huggins joined Full Court Press, a radio show about WVU basketball, presented by HD Media. Ross Hodge was recently announced as the new head coach of the West Virginia University Men’s Basketball team. West Virginia is coming off of a 19-13 season where the team failed to make a postseason tournament.

Hodge is coming off of his first head coaching stint at an NCAA Division I program, having led the University of North Texas to 46 victories and two trips to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in two seasons.

tags: #west #virginia #university #basketball #coach #history