He had something like 19 players at Cincy that were found to have had major runins with the law, rapes, assaults, DUI's etc.
The graduation rate Huggins disputes because if you don't go by the NCAA rule of 6 years and transfers who graduate somewhere else don't count for yuo, his rate was higher. If Dermarr Johnson goes to the NBA and makes money is it really Huggins fault he didn't graduate?
Strikes against him recently. WHen he got the K State job he immediately stole an assistant from Charlotte who just happened to be the guy who recruited Michael Beasley to Charlotte, Beasley eventually reneged on his verbal and signed with K State. The coach at Charlotte was the first guy to defend Huggins when he got fired by UC, he rewarded him by stealing his top assistant and his top recruit.
His first recruiting class last year included one kid who got on campus and then had his name pop up on a registered sex offenders list and one kid who had a pending statutory rape charge on him which had cost him a scholarship at UC when Huggins was there. The kid went to Juco, got kicked out and eventually K State said no. This year the kid pleabargained down to assault, and Huggins signed him again.Reportedly if he gets the grades, he's at K State next year.
I cant comment on any of these incidents so I will take your word for it. I think he is an outstanding basketball coach but frankly, at what point does WVU start thinking about image? With the Pacman Jones and Chris Henry stuff, the top 5 party school label, the burning couches, the guys taking a dump (although he only simulated it, didnt actually do it) in the GaTech band section during the Gator bowl, etc WVU is starting to rival The University of Miami as "Thug U".
Dont get me wrong, I am glad, sports wise, they are doing well and I dont think hiring Huggins is the end-all-be-all of disasters, but I have heard both the NFL network and ESPN int he last few days (when reffering to the Henry and Jones meeting with Goddel) that they both went to WVU. As if to point out how bad a school it is. When in reality it is not....
EDIT: I can actually comment on the recruiting thing. I am not justifying it but hiring of highschool basketball coaches, promises of freshman playing time, stealing other schools coaches, is the way of doing business. I dont know that I fault him for that. He is just playing the game.
The grad rates aretough I dont take into account these much just because they can skewed based on whose rules you use. Hell Miles Brand on Costas Now essentially disputed all graduation rate numbers as erronious and claimed that they are at least 30% higher than what is being reported. I dont know if I buy that but his point is that no school should take any kid-athelte or not-that is not capable of graduating from their school. And that, imo, is where the coaches fault/responsibility ends.
true...
