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Bob Huggins Discusses His Future at WVU

The head coach addresses his intentions.

Bob Huggins owns 935 career wins, making him the winningest active head coach in all of college basketball. The one thing that he and West Virginia University are still chasing is a national championship.

The 69-year-old head coach has more basketball behind him than he does in front of him and with just one NCAA Tournament win in the last five years coupled with a new athletic director in Wren Baker at the helm, many have begun to wonder how much time Huggins has left at WVU.

During a special guest appearance on The Field of 68 at the Final Four in Houston, Stadium college hoops analyst Jeff Goodman asked Huggs about his future and "what is going on" at WVU.

"There isn't anything going on," Huggins said. "We changed athletic directors. Our new athletic director is a basketball guy, who understands basketball. He watches, he understands. But I'm happy. I think they're happy."

When asked about getting extended another four years, Huggins responded, "I don't need four more years. I need to be able to continue to coach as hard and as well as I can coach and when I decide that enough's enough. And that's what they're giving me. That's what they think I deserve. But more importantly, that's what the people of West Virginia deserve. The most important thing to me is that we carry on what we've established for this state and the expectations that we have for this state."

Huggins' current contract "runs out" at the end of the 2023-24 season, but he has the option to continue to coach or extend his relationship with the University to June 30, 2027. Once Huggins decides to stop coaching, he will assume an Emeritus status within the WVU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. At that time, Huggins would be involved in public relations and other duties assigned by the athletic director. 

Per his contract, Huggins could defer his term of Emeritus status and continue to serve as head coach beyond the 2023-24 season with an annual mutual agreement between Huggins and the director of athletics on or before May 1, 2023, and each subsequent May 1 thereafter. His Emeritus status would continue for not less than two fiscal years through at least June 30, 2027. If Huggins continues to coach beyond June 30, 2027, he will have a minimum of two fiscal years of Emeritus status.

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