BOB HUGGINS SIGNS CONTRACT, PLAYER PREPARE FOR FUTURE

May 7, 2008


West Virginia finally has the signature of Bob Huggins on a contract, and, it is a doozy! Huggins Could Make $1.5 Million Annually (Martinsburg Journal) and, in all, $20.5 million in guaranteed money for the life of the contract which carries the 54 year old to age 65.

The contract is also loaded with incentives, including some based on academic achievement of his players, includes a $4 million buyout and penalties for intentional NCAA violations or incidents of personal conduct.

Huggins New Contract Revealed (Daily Mail) additional perks such as a membership at Lakeview Resort, two courtesy cars, 20 tickets to every home men's basketball game, 10 tickets to every postseason men's basketball game and six tickets to every home football game.


Alex Ruoff and Joe Mazzulla will run the show next season. As one would expect, Ruoff’s main job is to shoot three’s and Mazzulla’s is to handle the ball, but this offseason each will be working on honing the skill possessed by the other. For next season, Ruoff and Mazzulla Hope to Change WVU Backcourt Concepts (Daily Mail) as each becomes a more well-rounded threat.

Any time coaching turnover happens a program goes through changes in personnel. The new coach is not always a fit for the returning players and as a new coach brings in his guys, there can be a divide. Bob Huggins has done a remarkable job keeping West Virginia together despite a coaching style and system nearly the polar opposite of his predecessor, John Beilein. However, since the end of the season, many wondered if Wellington Smith would be one that opts to leave for a situation that would more closely resemble the one he initially signed up for. However, even with the pain of the season-ending loss to Xavier, All’s Well with Wellington and WVU (Charleston Gazette). Smith, to me, seems like a player, much like Joe Alexander, that has the physical tools and potential to star in Huggins’ system and if he can adapt to the coaching style of coach Huggins he could be a much different player. He needs a little of that fire and, if a coach is going to put it into him, it probably would be Huggins.