List of Coaches WVU Should Consider to Replace Bob Huggins

Just a few names that the Mountaineers may want to look into.

Wren Baker is about to enter a coaching search that he wasn't necessarily expecting to go through when he first took the job. Actually, this will be the second unexpected search after women's basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit bolted for Minnesota, so it's been quite a hectic offseason for the new West Virginia athletic director.

With it being mid-June, Baker has limited options when it comes to replacing Bob Huggins. He could be promoted from within and assign an interim tag or he could attempt pry someone away from their current job, but it may come at an expensive price tag.

Below are a handful of names that Baker should consider during the search. 

NOTE: Candidates are listed in alphabetical order (by last name) and are not in order of preference.

INTERNAL OPTIONS

Josh Eilert

Eilert has been around the program for a number of years. Since 2007 to be exact. In that time, he's served many roles and was finally promoted to an assistant coach in 2022. He's worked his way up the ladder and knows all the ins and outs of the program and the players love him. 

Ron Everhart

Ron Everhart is the only assistant coach at WVU with prior head coaching experience at the Division I level. Everhart went 92-104 in seven seasons at McNeese State, 82-68 in five years at Northeastern, and 99-89 in six years at Duquesne.

DerMarr Johnson

Johnson has the least amount of coaching experience, having just joined West Virginia's staff in mid-January. However, the 43-year-old does a tremendous job of recruiting, particularly the DMV area and has credibility having played several years professionally. I don't expect Johnson to beat out external candidates if it comes down to that but if the Mountaineers opt to go the internal route, he will without a doubt be considered.

EXTERNAL OPTIONS

John Beilein - Detroit Pistons

The former West Virginia head coach is currently the Senior Player Development Advisor for the Detroit Pistons and has been out of coaching since being fired by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2020. He played a major part in turning West Virginia basketball into what it is today and maybe, just maybe, he'd like a second go at it. Beilein led the Mountaineers to a 104-60 record and two NCAA Tournament appearances to go along with an NIT Championship.

Jerrod Calhoun - Youngstown State

Calhoun has strong ties to Huggins and West Virginia. He served on Huggs' staff at Cincinnati from 2003-04 and then here at WVU from 2007-12. He knows what it takes to win at West Virginia, having been around the team that went to the Final Four in 2010. Calhoun was the Director of Basketball Ops at WVU for four of those years before moving into an assistant coaching role in 2011-12. He went 124-38 in four years at Fairmont State and currently owns a 96-96 record five seasons into his tenure at Youngstown State.

Andy Kennedy - UAB

Kennedy spent time as an assistant under Huggins at Cincinnati from 2001-06 before getting his first head coaching job at Ole Miss. During his twelve years at Ole Miss, Kennedy went 245-156, taking the Rebels to two NCAA Tournaments. In 2012-13, Ole Miss won the SEC regular season championship and climbed as high as No. 16 in the AP Top 25. Although they failed to make the tournament on a regular basis on Kennedy's watch, the program did win 20+ games in nine seasons. He's done a terrific job at his alma mater (UAB) going 78-25, but it would be difficult to pass up a major job opportunity like West Virginia.

Frank Martin - Massachusetts

Martin, another disciple, and successor to Huggins at K-State, has won over 300 games in his coaching career, spending time at Kansas State (2007-12), South Carolina (2012-22), and Massachusetts this past season. Martin's passion, energy, and intensity are unrivaled, and it fits the identity of the program perfectly. Martin and Huggins are extremely close. He can lean on Huggins when needed and should be able to keep much of, if not the entire roster together. Plus, I'm sure Martin would love the idea of getting back into the seat of a P6 job.

Ben McCollum - Northwest Missouri State

McCollum spent some time with Wren Baker at at NW Missouri State from 2010-13 before Baker moved on to Memphis. McCollum has been a very successful coach at the DII level compiling a record of 334-83 and has four national titles to his resume (2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022). He is also a five-time NABC Division II National Coach of the Year and a seven-time MIAA Coach of the Year. Making the jump from Division II to the Big 12 is a massive one but if there's anyone that could do it, it's McCollum.

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