WVU Basketball

Bob Huggins Gives Honest Answer About Call with Darian DeVries

Published

3 weeks ago

April 10, 2024

Kelsie LeRose / WVSN

Former WVU HC Bob Huggins hosted his 12th annual Fish Fry over the weekend, raising money for cancer research. While the media was present, Huggins was asked about new West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries.

“I don’t know enough to say anything. I’m not trying to duck the question, I don’t know enough. [DeVries] called me and I tried to explain to him that now is a bad time for me,” Huggins said to WDTV 5. “Because I’ve been in southern West Virginia, I’ve been in northern West Virginia. I’ve been everywhere. I’ve been everywhere trying to help the people in the state of West Virginia. That’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to see what I can do to help the people in the state of West Virginia.”

Bob Huggins gave a candid answer when asked about the new hiring of Head Coach Darian DeVries at his 12th annual Fish Fry Event:
"He (Darian Devries) called me and I tried to explain to him that now is a bad time for me…." pic.twitter.com/awCFRAFMTG
— WDTV 5 Sports (@WDTVSports) April 9, 2024

While Huggins’ answer was unusual and was all over the place, he was honest about his call with DeVries. DeVries mentioned during his introductory press conference on March 28 that he was able to reach out and talk to former WVU head coaches about the job.

“I got a couple on the phone, exchanged some text messages. Excited to get their input on the program and the success they’ve had here,” DeVries said at the time.

DeVries was very complimentary of Huggins that day, including him in a list of the West Virginia Basketball greats along with Jerry West, ‘Hot Rod’ Hundley, John Beilein, etc.

For Huggins, he wants to get back into coaching. The Basketball Hall of Famer has upped his media coverage during the offseason. Before Louisville hired Pat Kelsey, Huggins went on the radio, advocating himself for the job. Huggins doesn’t want to leave WVU but if the right job comes calling, he has no choice.

“I think in the right situation, yeah. I don’t really want to leave West Virginia, but I don’t think I have much of a choice,” Huggins said with KDKA-TV’s Bob Pompeani last month.

West Virginia Basketball will begin a new era this upcoming season under DeVries while Huggins’ coaching future remains unknown.

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15 Comments

Seibert
April 10, 2024 at 9:49 am
Huggins continues to see himself as a victim and appears to be unable to accept that he will not be the coach at WVU.
George Jackson
April 10, 2024 at 10:20 am
Lord help us, he’s either drunk off his ass or one of the rare people for whom drinking improves his mental ability.
Fed up
April 10, 2024 at 10:35 am
The video answer to how does a loser treat the program he wrecked as it tries to recover.
vicJones
April 10, 2024 at 10:46 am
the only good thing about this is maybe, just maybe, this will cause the remaining fanboys to realize what a worthless POS he really is. He shows just what an arrogant entitled egomaniac he really is.
He’s just to busy to act like a decent human too busy because he has his hands full saving West Virginia.
What a maroon!
jackson five
April 10, 2024 at 11:04 am
sorry , but it took this event to wake up bobby, and accept what has got him into this mess, losing a job in his home state , that he loves so much,, i wish i could help him,, he’s 70, i think, and really not very attractive for any future big time jobs, considering also his run in with alcohol abuse, and his problems that created,,,,i only wish wvu would reach out to him, and have him a part of the wvu and hire him as an ambass. to wva…coaching , i’m really not sure that’s ever going to happen, maybe extremely small time,, but after incidents at wvu and ucinn, who would really take a chanc on hiring him as a HC ,,, love you bobby, thanks for the great times, thanks for you love of wv and wvu, enjoy life , and take advantage of your retirement to play some golf, travel, etc, don’t dwindle away, be active, get a smile back on that face, enjoy your family, and your life that God gave you
Christian Ness
April 10, 2024 at 11:53 am
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry watching that. He has become a laughingstock deserving of ridicule but, it is still sad to see someone so hopelessly lost and damaged.
He needs to go away, far far away.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
April 10, 2024 at 2:28 pm
If honesty will reveal you to be a world class jerk, it might be wiser to choose the silence option.Does the dude not have any friends who tell him how his continued bad behavior is making it impossible for him to ever be welcomed back into Mountaineer Nation?
It seems almost as if he’s deliberately tearing down his own reputation beyond repair with this bizarre compulsion to say stupid and slimy things on live mics.
Nazmo King
April 10, 2024 at 6:08 pm
Best thing he can do to help the people of West Virginia is stay off the roads and get somebody to drive him around!! Sheesh – talk about the dictionary definition of a person lacking self-awareness…
CTMountaineer
April 10, 2024 at 10:30 pm
One can not argue with his accompliashments and ability to coach. One could even say he deserved another chance at WVU, but when he showed up at the Cincy game wearing a red shirt, and is giving the lessened but still significant proceeds from his fish fry to the competition, I believe it is safe to say he has completed the divorce.
WVUninja
April 11, 2024 at 9:31 am
Why in the world would you call that honest? A guy flatly lies about why he blew off the new coach with the ridiculous excuse he did not have the time for a short polite conversation and rather than point out how dishonest and scummy that is you whitewash the episode by labeling it honest?
Do better!
The Dogfather
April 11, 2024 at 11:10 am
In a few years, a sports fan might be interested in an article entitled “Where Is Bob Huggins Now”? BUT NOT TODAY! He has been replaced by Devries, he has resigned from two previous jobs under disgraceful circumstances, and he has been searching for a new job for almost a year. We already know this! Please spare us from the never ending barrage of meaningless Bob Huggins updates!!
Volcano Moe
April 13, 2024 at 10:19 am
Stop giving him a platform to embarrass himself.
You’ll be doing him and us a favor.
Mike Asti
April 13, 2024 at 10:49 am
We didn’t give him the platform. Who did is in the article. It’s news, like it or not.
VOLCANO MOE
April 14, 2024 at 2:01 pm
Bob Huggins being a self-absorbed jerk is not news. Remember:
Man bites dog = news
Dog bites man ≠ news
Henceforth, Huggins is only newsworthy if he begins acting like a man, makes amends, and stops being a childish jerk.
Christopher Wilson
April 16, 2024 at 12:18 am
The commenters are terrible. They don’t care about the contributions coach Huggins has made to this state and the game of basketball. Now you have a Hall of Fame coach setting out with no charges. I think it’s fair to say he has a right to be upset. But in today’s world people feel like the grass is always greener. .. most of the time it will be found that the greener grass is often fertilized by bullshit