Huggy Bear not coming to BG

Tricky_Falcon · Post by **Tricky_Falcon** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:38 am

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2380885

Former Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins has accepted a five-year contract to coach Kansas State, his attorney, Richard Katz, told ESPN.com on Thursday morning.

Katz said he and Huggins were on their way to Manhattan, Kan., for a news conference later Thursday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Kansas State spokesperson Tom Gilbert told ESPN.com that he hadn't been told as of early Thursday morning to prepare for a news conference.

Why Kansas State?

"He feels that Kansas State has the potential to be a top 10 program," Katz said of Huggins' decision. "The Manhattan university community has embraced him and wants him to be the head coach."

Huggins, who was forced out of Cincinnati last August, will replace Jim Wooldridge, who was fired after the Wildcats lost to Texas Tech in the Big 12 tournament opening round earlier this month.

Kansas State also interviewed Northern Iowa's Greg McDermott, but he took the Iowa State job.

Huggins has had conversations with Kansas State in the past few weeks. Katz had made four trips to Kansas State recently, surveying the scene. This could come down to one of the most important hires of athletic director's Tim Weiser's career. Kansas State has needed to hit a home run with this hire and certainly has brought in a big-time name in Huggins.

If Huggins is able to make the Wildcats into a top 10 program, a lot of that will depend on whether or not he can land the cream of the class of 2007 in North Hill High (Ohio) players O.J. Mayo and Bill Walker, who have expressed interest in following Huggins in two seasons.

Huggins has always recruited junior colleges well, an area of recruiting where Kansas State has done well, recently. Kansas State is considered to have solid young talent so Huggins isn't going into a complete rebuilding situation. The Wildcats return its best player, junior Cartier Martin, a 6-8 forward who averaged 18 points a game last season for the 15-13 Wildcats (6-10 in Big 12). The Wildcats didn't have a senior in its top four scorers last season.

If Cincinnati interim coach Andy Kennedy doesn't land a full-time head coaching gig then he could be a top candidate to rejoin his former coach. Kennedy is meeting with Ole Miss for its opening Thursday.

Huggins, 52, coached Cincinnati to 14 straight NCAA Tournaments and the Final Four in 1992. Huggins has said throughout the season that he wanted to return to coaching. Huggins now joins a stellar group of coaches in the Big 12 in Bob Knight (Texas Tech), Rick Barnes (Texas), Eddie Sutton (still at Oklahoma State), Bill Self (Kansas) and Kelvin Sampson (Oklahoma).

transfer2BGSU · Post by **transfer2BGSU** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:56 am

So next year I can pencil Kansas St. as a second round out. Makes it a little easier for me and my bracket.

Germainfitch1 · Post by **Germainfitch1** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 10:02 am

three years with Huggy and a year with AJ Mayo make BG a viable basketball product again. I don't put a price tag on that. I know people here say it would be like selling your soul. All these transfers and pot smoking, drive thru holding up players we have had of recent years are not the squeakiest of squeakiest.

I have not been to many games recently but I have an attachment to the program that I would bet few have on this site.

I think you overrate the negative affect Huggins can have on a program that is already in turmoil, when he himself will need to be trying to clear his image.

Warthog · Post by **Warthog** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 10:36 am

Mayo and and his stud teammate have pretty much said they are going whereever Huggins goes. I agree that I would take Huggins and Mayo as a short term attempt to get this program turned around.

transfer2BGSU · Post by **transfer2BGSU** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 10:39 am

Germainfitch1 wrote:I think you overrate the negative affect Huggins can have on a program that is already in turmoil, when he himself will need to be trying to clear his image.

My comment has absolutely NOTHING to do with Huggins negatives except for his image of not being able to win in the tournament. Yeah, he took one UC team to the final four. ONE! Other than that one team, he goes to the tourney and beats the first round opponent and loses in the second round.

If you want to get into the rest of his negatives, well, I think that has been hashed out on this site many times before so you can go back and read those threads if you want to.

Flipper · Post by **Flipper** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 10:53 am

With regards to Huggins and Mayo...people are saying the same thing about Mayo et al. and Mike Davis.

We'll see....

BGFalconfromCincy · Post by **BGFalconfromCincy** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 10:54 am

Warthog wrote:Mayo and and his stud teammate have pretty much said they are going whereever Huggins goes. I agree that I would take Huggins and Mayo as a short term attempt to get this program turned around.

Not so fast there, in a recent interview Mayo said they may not follow Huggins if he goes to a "raw" program, and Kansas State is that

Germainfitch1 · Post by **Germainfitch1** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:00 am

transfer2BGSU wrote:
Germainfitch1 wrote:I think you overrate the negative affect Huggins can have on a program that is already in turmoil, when he himself will need to be trying to clear his image.
My comment has absolutely NOTHING to do with Huggins negatives except for his image of not being able to win in the tournament. Yeah, he took one UC team to the final four. ONE! Other than that one team, he goes to the tourney and beats the first round opponent and loses in the second round.

If you want to get into the rest of his negatives, well, I think that has been hashed out on this site many times before so you can go back and read those threads if you want to.

Before I even read your post beyond sentence one. I did not mean to directly address you, I meant you in the larger sense. Sorry.

Warthog · Post by **Warthog** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:53 pm

BGFalconfromCincy wrote:
Warthog wrote:Mayo and and his stud teammate have pretty much said they are going whereever Huggins goes. I agree that I would take Huggins and Mayo as a short term attempt to get this program turned around.
Not so fast there, in a recent interview Mayo said they may not follow Huggins if he goes to a "raw" program, and Kansas State is that

Here is what is in the Blade today:

In regard to rumors that Mayo and bill Walker may go wherever Huggins goes; "That could be right," Mayo said. "It could be a great thing to happen. At the same time, we have to see where he ends up, what the school's fan base is like, see what the fans think about him and make sure everything is great."

So after re-reading that, I would have to say that even if we would have hired Huggins, there would have been a snowball's chance in hell of Mayo and Walker following him to BG.

BGSUVA · Post by **BGSUVA** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 4:51 pm

I would be embarrassed if Huggins was hired here.

Jacobs4Heisman · Post by **Jacobs4Heisman** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 4:58 pm

I would stop following the basketball program until every one of his recruits and all the players he coached were out of the program.