The End of a Very Short Era...

“Screw all y’all. I’m gonna get mine”

These, while not quite being the actual words that Bob Huggins may have used nonetheless are the sentiment that he has recently sent to Kansas State, his former players, and especially his new recruits. Instead of making his way back to K-State for what seemed to be a promising second year and a chance to bring a once proud program back from obscurity, Huggins decided instead, to flee the Wildcats for his alma mater and take his chances with N.I.T. Champion West Virginia.

You would think that after 10 years of failed NCAA tournaments, a Cincinnati U team constantly on probation, a DUI and forced resignation as well as some unethical recruiting practices, Bob Huggins would be happy lay low and see what he can do with a 20-win team and the nation’s number one recruiting class. Not so. Instead he made a choice – a choice that, while affecting everyone at K-State, was made by thinking of no one but himself.

The smart move would have been to stay with the Wildcats, the team that gave him a second chance to rebuild a reputation tarnished over years of failure and the team most likely to break out of the cellar this next year. If K-State’s commitment to both the program and Huggins himself wasn’t enough to convince you, then try this. After hearing of West Virginia’s interest in Huggins, Kansas State AD Tim Weiser went into to Huggins’ office and simply said, “You tell us what your salary should be. Whatever West Virginia is offering, we will match it and then some. Same for the assistant coaches.”

A great offer, but apparently nothing was going to keep this former Mountaineer player from his dream job. Not even his integrity.

So, in lieu of Huggins shortsighted stay in Kansas, what happens to a top recruiting class that includes BMOC and McDonald’s All-American MVP Michael Beasley? Answer: nothing short of a yard sale. Even after Weiser refused to release the players from their letters of intent and promoted Beasley’s AAU coach, Dalonte Hill, to “Associate Head Coach”, the word is still out on whether Beasley and his packaged deal players will stay in Kansas. In fact, Beasley has already started speaking to Memphis, NC State, and Florida State; all three headed by strong former NBA coaches who he hopes could propel his game to the next level. Sounds like a smart kid looking out for his future.

While you definitely can’t count out K-State as Beasley’s final destination, it sure doesn’t help that Weiser ended up naming Huggins’ assistant Frank Martin as Head Coach over Hill. Martin’s lack of pedigree and coaching experience is only bested by his own unethical recruiting practices. He was expelled from coaching at high schools in Miami after recruiting and paying off now NBA players Steve Blake and Udonis Haslem – the worst of all crimes perpetrated by a coach. Even that has somehow left him unfazed.

Seems like the perfect replacement for Huggins to me.