THE SHOTGUN THROWDOWN: Why Bob Huggins transferred to West Virginia

Welcome, By-Godders, to The Shotgun Throwdown, WVU’s best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor, and daily distractions.

WHY HUGGINS TRANSFERRED

Long before the transfer portal was a common term in college sports, many players were already transferring to find better opportunities, including West Virginia men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins. Huggins started his college basketball career at Ohio because he wanted to play for Jim Snyder. But when Snyder retired, Huggy Bear made the easy decision to return to Morgantown to play for the Mountaineers. Huggs has no regrets about his decision to transfer and believes that he also benefitted academically from the move, so he understands why players decide to transfer, even if the NCAA no longer worries about academics.

FIRST ROUND LOSS

The six-seed West Virginia baseball team fell to three-seed Oklahoma in the first round of the Big 12 Championship on Wednesday night. WVU was unable to overcome a five-run second inning by the Sooners. The Mountaineers will now face seven-seed Kansas State, who they swept in the last series of the regular season, as they try to work their way back into the winners’ bracket of the conference tournament. This second round game will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ today at 1:30 p.m. EST.

TRACK & FIELD NCAA REGIONALS

Seven members of the West Virginia track and field team are competing at the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field East Regional Championship this week. Redshirt freshman Ceili McCabe headlines the Mountaineers’ roster as the second-best in the nation in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

WEST VIRGINIA ROUNDUP

• The return of the Backyard Brawl is one of the top things that West Virginia fans are looking forward to this football season.
• Former West Virginia defensive back Alonzo Addae has signed with the CFL’s Ottawa Redblacks.

AROUND THE BIG 12

• Texas first baseman Ivan Melendez has been named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year.

AROUND THE NCAA

• Hall of Fame college football coach Steve Spurrier is weighing in on the Saban/Fisher feud.

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