MAILBAG: Huggs' Future, Turnovers Compared to Previous Years, Toussaint's Minutes + More

From @Mountiealum97: Turnovers!! How many turnovers this year compared to last and compared to previous seasons where we had a winning record?

Answer: WVU is averaging 12.6 turnovers per game this season. Last year was 12.4 (16-17 record). 12.0 in 2020-21 (19-10 record). 14.4 in 2019-20 (21-10 record). 15.5 in 2018-19 (15-21 record). The turnovers are alarming, don't get me wrong. But there doesn't appear to be a true correlation between that statistic and winning.

From @jdenkirk: Why is no one coaching the team while Huggins is spending the timeout yelling at the refs? Someone needs to be in charge with Harrison gone.

Answer: Tough spot, really. DerMarr Johnson just got there, so you can't expect him to really know all that much in terms of what Huggs wants done and plus, he's still learning the roster. This is Josh Eilert's first year in a coaching role, so that pretty much leaves it up to Ron Everhart. That said, Huggs is going to run what he wants. He's yelled at the refs and drew up a play in 15-20 seconds. He's done it for years.

From @EYeator: Is the Transfer Portal nullifying Huggins' greatest skill, meaning his ability to develop players?

Answer: This is a great question that I don't think anyone has brought up before. You might be right. Huggs' background is to take those overlooked high school/JUCO kids and develop them into quality players. To do that, guys need to stick around and that's just not happening nowadays. Managing a roster is completely different now and is something he is having to adapt to. What made him successful for three-plus decades is no longer an option. He has to learn how to use the portal, yet keep the young guys he does get, happy.

From @BertschErik: How long do you see coach Huggins sticking around before his move to the ADs office?

Answer: I'm not exactly sure what Huggins will actually do when he retires from coaching. There's a lot of speculation but no one really knows. He's always said he doesn't want to leave the program in a bad place, so I don't see him leaving with the current situation. He wants to make sure the next coach has everything he needs to be successful.

From @tuckersvia: Why is a team coached by a HOF'er so undisciplined

Answer: I hate to make excuses, but just like you've heard from Huggs many times this year - it's hard to get guys who have played at two, three, and in Erik Stevenson's case, four schools to play your way without resorting to old habits. Before the portal era, this wasn't a problem, in my opinion. When you have so many guys with so many backgrounds coming together, it's tough. That said, it's up to him to find a solution.

From @raarons78: What's the ceiling for Huggs before he retires? What, in your professional opinion, is the highest he will rise? We all know he'll never make another final four. But, does he even make another tournament?

Answer: I wouldn't say he'll never make another Final Four. Anything can happen. Is it likely? Probably not. But if he gets the right batch of guys who get hot at the end of a season, it can happen. He'll get this team back to the tournament. The beginning of the portal era has been a major adjustment period for him. He'll get it figured out.

From @wi_thompson: Joe Toussaint's minutes were way down against UT. He has been the one player down the stretch who has kept them in most of those games. Huggs said that’s his fault. If they were playing in a groove I can buy it. They were throwing it away and missing shots. Something to question & watch here?

Answer: Yeah, it's a weird one for sure. As I mentioned in my story yesterday, I think he just wanted to keep Keddy on the floor because of his defense and as he mentioned, he was hoping Seth or Erik would start knocking down shots. But to your point, he HAS to find minutes for Toussaint. He's way too talented to be sitting on the bench in the second half. If you recall, it happened against Oklahoma too.

You can follow us for future coverage by liking us on Facebook & following us on Twitter:

Facebook - @MountaineersNow

Twitter - @MountaineersNow and Schuyler Callihan at @Callihan_.