West Virginia now needs a new head basketball coach and the dilemma is two-fold for the administration when it comes to finding a replacement.

Head coach Bob Huggins resigned his post atop the program after 16-seasons following a driving under the influence charge in Pittsburgh Friday night. It was the end to a tumultuous six-week period for the legendary head coach after he previously was in hot water for using an anti-gay slur on the radio.

That decision cost him $1 million of his salary, a three-game suspension and his contract being moved to a year-to-year structure. But this latest ultimately cost him his job in Morgantown.

There will be plenty of time to discuss Huggins and what he meant to not only the basketball program but the state of West Virginia. The end of his career is certainly a chapter in the story, but far from defines his impact and just how much he was revered in the state.

But for now, the focus quickly shifts to what comes next? And with that Athletic Director Wren Baker has the task of not only finding the replacement to a Hall of Famer but a way to also balance the current roster and try to keep it in-tact heading into next season.

While an interim tag was initially believed to be a possibility just given the timing late in the summer, it seems that Baker is going to operate a national search in order to fill the position according to sources. Internal candidates will be on the radar, but the first-year athletic director has yet another unexpected coaching search on his hands and this time it’s the men’s basketball program.

There are some obvious candidates with ties that Baker could look at and it doesn’t take a lot of guessing to uncover some of those names such as Andy Kennedy or Jerod Calhoun. Those two are familiar with either Morgantown or the program and could potentially make a seamless transition while having the support of the donor group in the process.

But they’re far from the only options and Baker has readily admitted he keeps a list on him and that is going to need to be dusted off to explore what options are interested in the post.

Huggins certainly left the job better than he found it as he played a major role in raising money for new facilities while steering the program as a top 25 program for the bulk of his tenure. Now comes the challenge of trying to replace that on a short timeline. This is incredibly late to begin a coaching search but circumstances have dictated that this be the case. Now, the work begins there.

On the other hand, another challenge is looking to fill the spot is trying to keep what looked to be a stacked roster together for one season. The majority of players that Huggins had brought in or gotten to return have only one season left and a decision to stay could benefit all involved.

The challenge will be to rally around each other and attempt to buy into what comes next and make the most of the opportunities in Morgantown. Now, blood is in the water and players will absolutely have other opportunities especially if they are granted waivers but this is a team that is ready-made to win.

It can’t be the only consideration when it comes to hiring a head coach but it definitely could expedite the timeline just given what has unfolded this off-season.

Baker was tabbed for this job due to his success in past situations and now that will be put to the test.

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