John Beilein listed as possible replacement for Bob Huggins

As of this weekend, West Virginia basketball was left with a vacant head coaching chair following the resignation of Bob Huggins. With that being the case, the Mountaineers are left to fill that role however they can to stabilize the program.

In order to do so, one outlet suggested that a familiar face reclaim the job in Morgantown. In an article at The Athletic by Brian Hamilton, he named John Beilein as a candidate on West Virginia’s call list considering his familiarity with the school and his availability in the coaching ranks.

“Here’s guessing the 70-year-old Beilein has learned how great it is to consult with NBA teams and fit in a round of golf here and there instead of grinding away recruiting and coaching teenagers. But he’s also not otherwise occupied,” Hamilton wrote. “His stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers ended poorly. He knows West Virginia. And it’s not a total rebuild with the likes of Kerr Kriisa and Jesse Edwards on hand.”

“It could be a palate cleanser for all involved. If it doesn’t work? Everyone hits reset in the spring,” said Hamilton.

Beilein coached at West Virginia for five seasons from 2002 to 2007. That was when the program was a member of the Big East. In that period, he amassed a 104-60 record (0.634), made a pair of appearances in the NCAA Tournament where he led them to a Sweet 16 and an Elite Eight, and helped them to win the NIT in his final season.

From there, he took over at Michigan where he coached for over a decade in Ann Arbor. After that, he took his shot at coaching in the pros. In his lone season in the NBA, he coached the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 14-40 record before he resigned midseason.

In the end, all options are on the table considering the fashion in which Huggins’ tenure at West Virginia ended. That’s why, at this point of the offseason, someone like Beilein with his experience and success could make a lot of sense for the Mountaineers as they search for a new leader.

Thamel reveals what’s next for West Virginia following Huggins’ resignation

Bob Huggins is out at West Virginia due to multiple incidents. Now, Pete Thamel of ESPN has all the latest on what’s next for the Mountaineers.

The now-former West Virginia men’s basketball coach tendered his resignation following DUI arrest on Saturday. That followed a past controversy involving Huggins using multiple slurs in a radio interview. While he survived the first incident by the skin of his teeth, another irresponsible act landed Huggins out of a job.

In a hit on SportsCenter on Sunday, Thamel explained where West Virginia goes from here.

“West Virginia officials found out about Bob Huggins’ arrest early on Saturday. And it quickly became clear it would be difficult for a path for Huggins to exist to return as West Virginia’s coach,” explained Thamel. “You mentioned six weeks ago, the multiple slurs on a Cincinnati radio station. West Virginia officials received significant criticism for their path for bringing Huggins back in the wake of that incident.”

“One of the things that they did that didn’t get a lot of attention was that they changed Huggins’ contract, essentially making it a year to year deal. So, essentially, West Virginia controlled Huggins’ future from here on out. And it was widely speculated and expected that this would’ve been Bob Huggins’ last season as the head coach of West Virginia. Well that timeline sped up on Saturday. Huggins eventually, after engaging with administrators, tendered a resignation late last night. He met with his team around 9 p.m. ET, told them the news.”

“From here, West Virginia officials are going to conduct a national search. They’ll certainly acknowledge and speak with any interim candidates from the current staff. But there’s a feeling at West Virginia, with the Country Roads Collective and the same NIL muscle that allowed them to bring in one of the top portal classes this season that West Virginia’s going to be an attractive job for coaches who are now looking more and more at schools that can allow them to assemble top rosters. So a national search, and expect them to move quickly. They’re such a talented roster sitting on campus, there’s going to be an urgency to keep those players around.”