The Charleston Daily Mail Wrote:Huggins has breakfast crowd cracking up
By Jake Stump
Daily Mail Capitol Reporter
September 3, 2008


WVU's men's head basketball coach Bob Huggins speaks in front of members of the Vandalia Rotary Club at Christ Church Methodist in Charleston.
Craig Cunningham

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- If coaching basketball somehow stops working for Bob Huggins, he can always try his hand at standup comedy.

In usual Huggy Bear fashion, the West Virginia University basketball coach had an audience this morning cackling with his dry, yet charming speaking style.

The 54-year-old rolled out one-liner after one-liner at a breakfast meeting of the Charleston Vandalia Rotary Club early today.

Consider this gem: "I took a philosophy class at WVU. The first thing they tell you is, 'Never get into a battle of wits unarmed.'"

On center Jamie Smalligan playing basketball in the Netherlands: "Can you imagine size 22 wooden shoes?"

On the media: "They only put part of what you say in there and you end up looking like an idiot, which I'm kinda accustomed to."

But Huggins, a veteran coach of more than two decades, wasn't all jokes at the breakfast.

He expressed his team's dire need for a practice facility. Huggins said WVU is just $4 million short of an estimated $25 million facility, which would be located along the Monongahela River.

"The gymnastics team and wrestling team have their own practice facilities," Huggins argued.

He also vouched for upgrades to the Coliseum, which was built in the 1970s and also hosts an array of other events including women's basketball, volleyball, gymnastics and job fairs.

"It needs modernized a little bit," he said.

Huggins, in one of his customary dapper suits, sipped on a glass of orange juice and poked around at a mixed fruit dish before speaking.

Perhaps he was watching his waistline as he recounted how legendary coach Bobby Knight once referred to him as a "400-pound bag of butter" on ESPN. For one game, Huggins traded in a polished suit for a sweater. Knight was jokingly describing what he looked like. At least he thought Knight was kidding around.

West Virginia First Lady Gayle Manchin, who was slightly injured after a car struck her Sunday, introduced Huggins to the few dozen in attendance at Christ Church United Methodist on Quarrier Street.

Manchin painted Huggins as a family man and proud West Virginian.

"Can you travel with me?" Huggins quipped at Manchin as he took the microphone.

The WVU team is projected to finish 8th in the Big East and 24th overall in the country, the coach said.

"Did you get that?" Huggins asked the crowd.

He said that just shows the strength of the Big East and added that teams in the conference are "going to beat up on each other."

When Huggins' squad takes the floor this season, it must do without its star player from last year, Joe Alexander, whom the Milwaukee Bucks drafted as the eighth overall pick in June.

"I'm excited for Joe," Huggins said. "Joe will be excited when he gets his first paycheck. $12.2 million --- that's a good chunk."

Huggins said Alexander is one of the guys who exemplifies a true basketball player on and off the court. On the floor, he's menacing and shows no remorse, the coach said, but away from the court, he's kind and courteous.

Like previous years, one of the team's biggest flaws is its lack of size, the coach added.

He pointed to the University of Connecticut, which has five guys who stand 6-feet-10 or taller.

Huggins took a few questions from the audience and was asked if he used a sports psychologist. He replied, "I never found one better than I am."

He also compared his coaching style to how he treats his dog.

"My wife wanted me to teach it something so I started throwing a Frisbee and the dog would go after it," Huggins said. "I'd tell it to sit and it would sit. That's my philosophy to coaching - run and sit. If you don't do something well in practice, you're going to get on the treadmill and run. If you don't do what you're supposed to do in a game, you can sit."

He always was good enertainment...

Huggins is and always will be the man. I do miss the Bob Huggins era of UC basketball... and hope we see that kind of success and them some once the Mick Cronin era really gets going.

It looks like it's starting to take off. Y'all have a big front line, and some real talent in the backcourt. A few more good recruits, and UC should be battling for the top spot...

After Evil Zimpher fired Huggs, there was a Huggins Roast at US Bank Arena,
Hosted by Bill Cunningham. There must have been 30-50 former UC players who showed up to support Huggs. Pitino, Calapari, Tubby were there all trading one liners and they me had cracking up.