Huggins unafraid to admit ‘stealing’
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins is a self-described “genius” when it comes to incorporating other coaches’ innovations into the Mountaineers’ game plans.
Huggins pleaded guilty to hijacking his colleagues’ designs following West Virginia’s practice session yesterday at the Garden.
Huggins and his No. 5 seed Mountaineers will take on top seed and Big East champion Villanova in tonight’s NCAA East Regional semifinal.
And Huggins isn’t afraid to say he’s stolen a bit from Villanova coach Jay Wright.
“I steal everything I can,” said Huggins. “I watch tape and if somebody is doing something pretty good we’re doing it the next day.
“I’ve never had an original thought in my life. My dad was a coach and I got a lot of things from my father and he kind of looked up to a guy named Ed McCluskey. I spent a lot of time with coach.”
Huggins commandeered his latest defensive strategy from Wright’s playbook. One of Huggins’ true talents is the audacity to heist a concept in the middle of a game.
“Honest to God, Jay was fronting ball screens against us and then we fronted ball screens against them because it seemed like the thing to do,” said Huggins.
“I steal everything. I don’t know how to put it any plainer. If I see something I think helps us, we’re going to do it.”
Wright was amused at being the source of Huggins’ genius but admitted it was a two-way street.
“I can’t share with you any ideas I got from Hugs because they’re all off the court and I can’t talk about them,” said Wright.
Huggins is one of the original characters in college basketball’s landscape. He can be irascible at times and quick to argue an official’s call or get on his players in a timeout.
But he has an entertaining side that is genuine Blue Ridge Mountains. That side of his personality came out in doses yesterday.
Huggins insisted he’s no longer the firebrand he was during his successful run 16-year at Cincinnati, when the Bearcats qualified for the NCAA tournament in 14 straight seasons from 19922005. “Huggy Bear” says he’s in a better place at his alma mater in Morgantown, W.Va.
“I don’t know if I’ve mellowed, I just think I pick and choose my spots better,” said Huggins, 64. “How’s that? That’s pretty diplomatic wasn’t it?
“You know when you’re — the younger you are I think it seems like it is more life and death. You know what I mean? As you get older and you get more experience, when you’ve seen so many things, it’s not as much as life and death.
“I think age, maturity and experience have a lot to do with it. You know kind of when to do it and when not to do it.”
But sometimes, Huggins can revert to his old ways, like after a nationally televised 88-85 home loss to Oklahoma State on Feb. 10, for example.
“Now you say that but we lost to Oklahoma State and I went home and pulled the covers over my head and stayed in bed for four hours,” said Huggins. “I’ve been more distraught but I can’t remember when.”
Huggins has gotten the Mountaineers to the Big Dance in four straight seasons and he recruits kids he can rely on for the long haul. Senior guards Daxter Mills Jr. and Jevon Carter comprise one of the country’s most talented and experienced backcourts.
“I’ve told my athletic director (Shane Lyons) that he really had two choices,” said Huggins. “Either fire me for recruiting the guys I recruited or give me a raise for being able to win with them.”