Dick Vitale Floats Potential Bob Huggins Replacement for West Virginia

West Virginia’s men’s basketball team is in the market for a new head coach following the resignation and apparent retirement of Bob Huggins on Saturday following a recent DUI arrest.

With the Mountaineers reportedly seeking a coach for the long-term, college basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale floated an eye-opening candidate who could potentially fill the void left behind by Huggins.

On Sunday, Vitale took to Twitter with the idea of instating Tom Crean as West Virginia’s coach for the upcoming season. 

“A guy with all kind of head coaching big time experience who would be super during the 1 yr [West Virginia men’s basketball] waiting period to make a final decision would be Tom Crean,” wrote Vitale on Twitter. 

A guy with all kind of head coaching big time experience who would be super during the 1 yr @WVUhoops waiting period to make a final decision would be @TomCrean

— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) June 18, 2023

Crean is currently out of a coaching job after spending four years with Georgia. Prior to that stint, he was at Indiana from 2008 to ’17, and Marquette from 1999 to 2008. The 57-year-old has made nine NCAA tournament appearances in his coaching career, including one trip to the Final Four with Marquette back in 2003. 

Whether the Mountaineers have considered Crean to fill their current vacancy remains to be seen, but Vitale seems to think his experience could be of value to West Virginia ahead of the 2023–24 campaign.

The Mountaineers’ season tips off on Nov. 6 with a matchup against Missouri State in Morgantown.