This here fella, Bob Huggins, he’s a big name in the basketball. I heard folks talkin’ ’bout him down at the market. Seems like he’s been coachin’ them young’uns for a good long while. I don’t know much about that sport, but I know a hard worker when I see one.
They say he used to coach at West Virginia. That place is far, I reckon. This Bob Huggins, he made that West Virginia team play real good. They called it “pressing”. I don’t know what that means, but it sounds tough, like pressin’ apples for cider.
- He coached at Indian Valley South.
- That’s what that Charlie Huggins did too.
- Must be somethin’ in the Huggins name.
Now, this Bob Huggins fella, he ain’t coachin’ no more. Said he was gonna retire. That’s what they call it when you get old and tired, I guess. But he did a lot of coachin’ in his day. They say he’s one of the best darn coaches them college boys ever had. That’s somethin’ to be proud of. He must have yelled a lot. That’s what them coaches do, ain’t it? Yell and holler and make them boys run ’til they drop.
Some folks, they don’t like this Bob Huggins. Say he’s a “lightning rod”. I don’t know ’bout that. Sounds like he just tells it like it is. He sure is a big part of the West Virginia basketball. Like my old man and his prize-winning rooster. Can’t think about one without the other.
I heard he talked to them TV folks, the KDKA-TV. Must be important if he’s on the television. They was talkin’ ’bout him and his team. Said he taught them boys to play together, like a family almost. That’s important, you know. Gotta stick together, especially when times are tough.
This Bob Huggins, he had some things he used to say, some special words. They stick in your head, like a catchy tune. Don’t ask me what they were, though. All that basketball talk goes right over my head. But I know they meant somethin’ to them boys he coached.
When he was young, that Bob Huggins, he was a senior. He must have been a big shot in his day. Everyone starts as a young’un, full of vinegar.
This whole coachin’ thing, it’s like plantin’ seeds. You gotta nurture them, water them, and hope they grow up strong. This Bob Huggins, he sure did plant a lot of seeds in West Virginia.
He did these things called “drills”. Sounds like somethin’ you do with a tool, but I guess it’s how you teach them basketball boys. You gotta teach ’em the little things, then put it all together. Like bakin’ a pie. You gotta make the crust, then the fillin’, then put it all in the oven and hope it comes out right.
They say he’s a “coach-centered” coach. I guess that means he’s the boss. Like the rooster in the henhouse. He’s in charge, and them boys better listen if they know what’s good for ’em.
This here Bob Huggins, he’s a big name for sure. You don’t get to be a big name in college basketball without knowin’ what you’re doin’. He’s part of the history of that place, West Virginia. Like the old oak tree down by the creek. It’s been there forever, and it ain’t goin’ nowhere.
He retired in 2023, I hear. That’s a number I remember, because that’s the year my old mule, Bess, finally kicked the bucket. Sad day, that was. But like Bess, this Bob Huggins had a good long run. Did a lot of good in his time, I reckon.
Well, that’s all I know about that Bob Huggins fella. Don’t know much about basketball, but I know hard work when I see it. And this fella, he worked hard. You can tell that just by listenin’ to folks talk about him. He left his mark on that West Virginia place, that’s for sure. Like a good, strong fence post, he’s gonna be remembered for a long, long time. That’s what matters, ain’t it? Leavin’ your mark on the world, makin’ a difference. And this Bob Huggins, he sure did that.
