Bob Huggins Mentioned as Candidate for Coaching Opening

With Bob Huggins still looking to get back into coaching and the coaching carousel constantly moving, the Basketball Hall of Famer’s name is being mentioned for another open job.

Huggins is apparently on a list of candidates to be the next head coach at Cleveland State, at least according to Nick Camino of WKYC-TV. Camino did clarify in his reporting that he is not sure who has interviewed or talked with CSU so far.

Names I’m hearing for the open Cleveland State men’s basketball head coaching job…

Jermaine Henderson
Rob Summers
Earl Boykins
Sonny Johnson
Jay Shunnar
Bob Huggins

(Not sure who has interviewed or spoken with CSU just yet.)

Hire could come by as soon as next week.

— Nick Camino (@NickCaminoWKYC) April 3, 2025

Despite being in initial reports to take over for Will Wade at McNeese State, Huggins did not even earn an interview. But with his Ohio connections, it is possible a school like Cleveland State could consider bringing in Huggins with the expectation that he would help put them on the national map.

To be fair to Huggins, Rick Pitino, another legendary controversial coach, was granted a chance to get back in the profession via a mid major job when he took over Iona in 2020. Pitino led Iona to two NCAA Tournament trips in three years and then pivoted that success into his current position with a more established brand in St. John’s.

West Virginia director of athletics Wren Baker was asked directly about Huggins during his press conference to discuss his most recent coaching search before eventually landing on hiring Ross Hodge.

Baker thanked Huggins for his contributions to the WVU, but said he is focused on leading the Mountaineers into the future, not worrying about the past.

Huggins made a pitch to athletic directors everywhere about why they should consider him for any coaching vacancy in February.

“I’m pretty good at what I do. I’ve been pretty good in every place that I’ve been. Every place that I’ve been people call me all the time, to this day. They call and talk, ‘When you coming back? When are we going to see you?’. I think I’ve done the right things. I’ve been good to people. I’ve been good to where I’ve been and I’ve been really good to our guys. Look at what our guys are doing. Look at the guys we put in the NBA. Look at our guys that are extremely successful in the workplace,” the Basketball Hall of Famer told the Enquirer’s Scott Springer.

Huggins was WVU’s head coach from 2007-23 and guided the Mountaineers to the 2010 Final Four and three Sweet 16 appearances after that. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022 and is one of only six Division I men’s basketball coaches to surpass 900 wins.

Huggins owns 935 career wins, which is third on the all-time wins list. He led both Cincinnati (1992) and WVU (2010) to an appearance in the Final Four. Huggins was named Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2015 and was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.

Find more coverage of Bob Huggins at WV Sports Now.