Early Bob Huggins Documentary Footage Sparks Reaction From Coaches

The film on Huggy Bear has everyone excited.
Mar 15, 2023; Birmingham, AL, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Bob Huggins talks during practice at Legacy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
Mar 15, 2023; Birmingham, AL, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Bob Huggins talks during practice at Legacy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Later this spring, Beyond the Bench: The Bob Huggins Legacy, a documentary on the life and coaching career of former WVU head coach Bob Huggins, will be released. Producer Alan Hilsinger announced earlier this month that the plan is to have a premiere sometime in April.

Some footage of the documentary was shared on social media on Tuesday night, and it caught the attention of some notable current and former college basketball head coaches who can't wait to view it.

Frank Martin, UMass head coach/former K-State & South Carolina head coach

This is gonna be incredible. The story of a man’s man. Gets out of bed every day to elevate the lives of others. Never ran away from his own mistakes.

Bruce Pearl, former Auburn head coach

"One of the best men to ever do what we do. It was always about the kids. He cared about the game and our profession. Treated coaches at every level with great respect. Can wait to see this!"

Seth Greenberg, former Virginia Tech head coach

"Huggs. One of one. One of the smartest people I know. Amazing coach, better person. Loved the game and his players, and they loved him back. HoFer in every way."

Huggins will forever be remembered as one of the best coaches the game has ever seen and probably the most notable of those who were unable to win a national championship. Had Kenyon Martin not gone down with an injury during his time with Cincinnati, he'd probably have at least one. And if you remember, during West Virginia's Final Four run in 2010, starting guard Truck Bryant missed some time in the NCAA Tournament, Joe Mazzulla was dealing with a shoulder injury, and Da'Sean Butler suffered a serious knee injury in the Final Four loss to Duke. He's one of the most successful coaches ever, who had some awful luck along the way.

The end of his tenure at WVU didn't go as anyone had hoped, but hopefully, as time moves on, he and the university can patch things up, so he can be around the building more often and be honored for all the success he had.

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Schuyler Callihan
SCHUYLER CALLIHAN

Schuyler Callihan is the publisher of West Virginia On SI and has been a trusted source covering the Mountaineers since 2016. He is the host of Between The Eers, The Walk Thru Game Day Show, and In the Gun Podcast. The Wheeling, WV native moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2020 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers.

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