From the sidelines
I'm surprised but I'm not.
Bob Huggins is leaving Kansas State University after a 23-12 season, and millions and millions of alumni dollars.
On one hand Huggins, who is from Morgantown, W.V., can't turn down his dream job of coaching at his alma mater, West Virginia University. On the other hand, his reputation preceded him.
Not that Huggins was a nomad in the coaching world. He spent 16 seasons at Cincinnati, taking the Bearcats to 14 NCAA tournaments, and one Final Four appearance.
The 53-year-old also had a track record of low graduation rates, NCAA recruiting violations, and just an overall shady persona. His DUI in 2004 was the final straw for Cincinnati, as Huggins was forced to resign and found himself out of coaching in 2005-06.
Along came K-State president Jon Wefald, who welcomed Huggins with open arms, forgetting about his checkered past.
Wefald said Thursday during a press conference had he known loyalty was an issue, he would not have hired Huggins. He also told Huggins whatever West Virginia offered he would match, as well as the assistants.
Obviously, neither green nor purple mattered to Huggins.
He wanted to go back home.
I would be a hypocrite if I said Huggins had no blame in this situation, because I jumped on the Roy Williams-hater bandwagon when he bolted for Chapel Hill.
But some of the blame falls on Wefald and the Wildcats. They knew who they were hiring.
Yes, Huggins had shown loyalty in the past. Yes, they felt in their hearts he would honor the contract. And yes, he is a great coach.
But he wasn't a saint.
Almost everyone outside of Manhattan focused on his past, while K-State people focused on his coaching ability and alumni dollars.
And for one season, Huggins made Wefald, athletic director Tim Weiser, and Wildcats fans look like geniuses.
Now, they feel something like Muhammad Ali's boxing opponent after a knockout punch. Although, they may substitute knockout with "sucker."
The sad part of the situation is it's just how the coaching world works. Contracts mean nothing and big schools steal from little schools (as well as other big schools).
I'm not sure who the first athletic director was who allowed his coach to say sayanora without any windfall, but this situation isn't the first, nor the last.
Oh, Huggins isn't getting off without some type of punishment. He will owe the school a whopping $100,000. Which should take a huge cut of his $800,000 salary this past season, and first season at WVU.
He might be forced to sell his customized purple suit on Ebay just to make ends meet.
Now K-State has a new coach in former assistant Frank Martin. The good thing is, they won't have to find another number one recruit.
Michael Beasley, the number two incoming freshman in the nation and a West Virginia native, had decided to honor his word and stay with the Wildcats. It's good to see Beasley sticking to his word.
What's not good to see is coaches signing meaningless contracts, preaching but not practicing loyalty, and fake handshakes at press conferences.
As a Jayhawk fan, I've been there before, and I somewhat sympathize for them, but they took a risk hiring Huggins, and got burned in the end.
Now Huggins is taking his one and possibly only shot at returning home.
I wonder if he wore his red, ruby slippers?
