It’s no secret that Bob Huggins is a Hall of Fame Coach. He’s going to go down as the best coach in WVU history. We’ve been very blessed to have him as our HC.
That said, it’s also not much of a secret that he’s not exactly innovative on the offensive side of the court. I would feel pretty confident saying our current offensive assistants aren’t going to change that reality.
For years we’ve talked about trying to get some of our own guys back here to inject youth into our staff. Well.... in that time Darris Nichols has become one of the hottest young coaches in the country. Rated a top 40 coach (assistant and HC) under 40 and the #2 assistant in the SEC, it’s likely going to take a HC role to get him out of Gainesville. So that rules us out.
Then there’s Joe Mazz. It wasn’t too long ago he was the HC at Fairmont St. right down the road. That might have been the perfect time to snag him but we didn’t. Now he sits as one of 6 assistants for the Boston Celtics. A much tougher pull.
I know we’ve talked about this on the board before, but I don’t think it’s ever been more necessary than it is now to get him. Here is a guy that Huggs trusted as a player to teach the team a 1-3-1 zone defense. He has learned offensive basketball under Beilein and Brad Stevens, two of the highest regarded offensive coaches in the world. He has recruited college before, and has major ties to the northeast.
Could we get him as an assistant? Would we be able to slap an Associate HC title on him and have Huggs groom him for a few years? We need an offensive identity, and I can’t think of someone who would bring more offensive knowledge to the program that we could realistically get. And he just happens to be an alum.
That said, it’s also not much of a secret that he’s not exactly innovative on the offensive side of the court. I would feel pretty confident saying our current offensive assistants aren’t going to change that reality.
For years we’ve talked about trying to get some of our own guys back here to inject youth into our staff. Well.... in that time Darris Nichols has become one of the hottest young coaches in the country. Rated a top 40 coach (assistant and HC) under 40 and the #2 assistant in the SEC, it’s likely going to take a HC role to get him out of Gainesville. So that rules us out.
Then there’s Joe Mazz. It wasn’t too long ago he was the HC at Fairmont St. right down the road. That might have been the perfect time to snag him but we didn’t. Now he sits as one of 6 assistants for the Boston Celtics. A much tougher pull.
I know we’ve talked about this on the board before, but I don’t think it’s ever been more necessary than it is now to get him. Here is a guy that Huggs trusted as a player to teach the team a 1-3-1 zone defense. He has learned offensive basketball under Beilein and Brad Stevens, two of the highest regarded offensive coaches in the world. He has recruited college before, and has major ties to the northeast.
Could we get him as an assistant? Would we be able to slap an Associate HC title on him and have Huggs groom him for a few years? We need an offensive identity, and I can’t think of someone who would bring more offensive knowledge to the program that we could realistically get. And he just happens to be an alum.
