West Virginia looking for a win, Huggins looking for answers
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Bob Huggins sounded like a man nearing the end of his rope and searching for answers.
If so it’s hard to fault him for feeling that way after his West Virginia team blew a 21-point second half lead and fell to 0-3 in the Big 12 in the process. The Mountaineers now sit at 8-7 and after three narrow losses in the league the team is currently as Huggins describes it “floundering.”
But the veteran head coach didn’t turn the finger elsewhere or blame his players for their mishaps that led to the collapse, no he pointed it all right back at himself.
“I recruited these guys, I signed off on recruiting them. I’m supposed to be smart enough to figure out how to get them to play. I haven’t been able to. That’s on me, that’s 100-percent on me,” he said.
He even took it a step further saying that he as the leader of the club has to realize that if he can’t trust certain people when they’re on the floor he can’t continue to put them in the game in critical moments.
“That’s not on them, that’s on me,” he said. “We’re going to work like crazy to fix this.”
As for what could be the next step?
Huggins said since he hasn’t been able to trust some of his veterans perhaps it is time to turn to some of the youth on the roster such as giving freshman Emmitt Matthews even more minutes.
“What we’ve got to do is really stay on the young guys,” he said.
He even suggested another drastic option in pulling the redshirt of guard Trey Doomes.
“He’s the only straight line driver we have; we straight line drives these guys in practice every day. Get him in when we need somebody to straight line drive it,” he said. “And why not?”
One of those young players that certainly has been the answer is freshman Derek Culver, who has emerged as one of the best options on the team in his five games. Since Big 12 Conference play began, Culver has averaged over 15 points and almost 10 rebounds per contest.
“But you’ve got to play him because he’s carrying a whole bunch of guys that are supposed to depend on and he’s carrying them. He is absolutely carrying them on his back,” Huggins said.
West Virginia will host Oklahoma State Saturday in a game that could prove critical for the team this season after three consecutive narrow defeats.
And Huggins realizes it.
“Folks we need you. We need you there on Saturday, we’ve got to get a win. We’ve got to get a win and get going,” he said speaking to the fans. We’ve always believed in the people of the great state of West Virginia and If you could show up and support this group it would mean a whole lot,” Huggins said.
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