By Bill Nestor
It has been over a decade since I asked former West Virginia University men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins a question in his post game press conference and his response stuck with me. At the time, Truck Bryant was a key contributor to the Mountaineer squad. Bryant was a very talented player that was just learning the Bob Huggins way. Truck liked to do things on the court his way and Huggins was in the process of trying to tame the Truck.
Midway through this particular game, just before halftime, Bryant was making his way down the court at the same time Huggins was shouting out instructions. Bryant put his hands out, palms up, and provided a shrug of his shoulders in the veteran mentor’s direction.
Before the guard could get his hands down, Huggins already had a player at the scorer’s table to replace Bryant.
Bryant would come out of the locker room after the halftime break, and m ade a brief appearance in the second half. Truck had been logging big minutes and he had the potential to become a leader for Huggs. His absence in the final 20 minutes was a big deal to me. So in the post game press conference, I posed the question to Huggins concerning Bryant. I asked if the star player was in the dog house. Huggins looked directly at me and answered that he didn’t have a dog house. Even at home, he didn’t have a dog house.and his wife keeps the dogs in the house.
It was a classic diffuse and redirect answer.
Huggins wanted to keep the issue in house and he didn’t want to air his team’s laundry publicly. He was protecting Bryant from any media scrutiny while handling the matter internally.
The next several games, Bryant was on a short leash. Almost every mental mistake on the floor would bring a replacement into the contest.
Over time Bryant made less mistakes, especially the intolerable ones, and all was forgotten. Huggs viewed his players like family and they saw him as a father figure. He would do anything for his players and the state. If you line up all of the former Mountaineer coaches, you’d be hard pressed to put any two together and have as much love for the Mountain State as he does.
I am not getting into the middle of the discussion of the events that have recently transpired. Since I do not live in a glass house, I will refrain from throwing stones at anyone. What I do want to write about is the motivation behind the man. Huggins has always wanted the best for his players, his staff, the fans, and this great state.
At the infamous event so long ago, Huggins was protecting Truck Bryant. He would do the same for any player that he has ever coached. The best part about the Mountaineer family that Huggins has created is that once you are in, you are in for life. He is there for his players anytime they need him, and I’m sure that he will continue to be there for them as long as he can.
Thank you, Coach Huggins, for loving a state that will always love you back. You have earned a spot in the heart of Mountaineers everywhere. Thanks for the memories, Coach!
