Eaves 3/27/2024

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome back to EVE Sports Radio.March the twenty seventh, twenty twenty fourth.
The week is marching on, themonth is marching on. That was
pretty good. Didn't you all likethat? March Marching on, Marching On?
I like that. Even if youdidn't, I did it tickled me.
Welcome back to the show. Thisis the Sports Radio phone number is

(00:22):
five zero two, five seventy ninehundred. We will not be taking calls
today. I want you all toknow we've got a special special guest coming
on at seventy ten, the NaysmithHall of Fame Bob Huggins will sit in
with the Sports Radio today. Iwill be having Rick Bosich probably call in

(00:45):
around seven point thirty, who willbe on on with us. Also with
coach Huggins, we're going to speakquite a bit about what he's done since
leaving West Virginia, what he wantsto do with continuing his career and college
basketball and his coaching career, andwhy that he may have interest in the
University of Louisville Hitman's basketball coaching job. So we're going to talk to him

(01:08):
about that personally. Rick Bosa isgoing to come on. We're going to
speak a little bit about the circumstanceswith the University of Louisville job to enlighten
Bob on some of the issues thatare going on now. We know that
the coach Kenney Payne was relieved ofhis job two and a half weeks ago,
and the University of Louisville was ina free fall looking for a hitman's

(01:30):
basketball coach. And I think thatis a fair term free fall. I
never thought about it, and Inever thought about Coach Huggins's name in this
process. But when someone brought itto my attention that there may be some
interest, the more I thought aboutit, the more it made it interesting

(01:51):
to where I believe people should listento his story and why people should listen
to his story. More importantly,he's one heck of a basketball coach.
You all know I don't swear onesports radio, and I was close to
say bad words. He's a phenomenalbasketball coach, one of six with over
nine hundred victories. Only six coachesever have done with Coach Huggins has done

(02:16):
so. I think it will beenlightening when you hear him. We're going
to ask him difficult questions. Doyou all know E Sports Radio. I
do not sugar coat. We're goingto talk about the issues at West Virginia,
the drunken driving, what he hasdone to correct that. We're not
going to miss anything, same thingI did with Rex Chapman in all tough

(02:38):
interviews. We're not missing anything.We're going to talk about all the issues.
But on top of that, we'regoing to talk about why I believe
he could be the guy that couldturn the University of Louisville program around.
Everyone knows I want to coach KennyPayne. I've never backed off of that.
Everyone knows that I've said it wasa tough two seasons. Yes it
was to see coach Payne win moregames, Yes I would have, but

(03:01):
he's my guy. I'm not rollingover on coach Payne for anything. Was
he put in a very tough situation, without a doubt. That's the part
that the Louisville fan base doesn't understand. They do not want to admit that
this is a tough job now fromwhat had transpired, a very tough job.
So that's why now that I'm goingto be bringing Bob Huggins on in

(03:23):
a few minutes. He is aperson that has walked into tough situations and
turned them around to make them perennialpowers. Cincinnati used to be a great
job with a big old but whenhe went to Cincinnati, they were not
a power. Anyone that knows anythingabout the University of Louisville Cincinnati rivalry knows
that coach Huggins had turned this thingaround. And when I went to be

(03:46):
when I came back to Louisville tobe Coach Crumb's assistant coach, when was
that ninety six ninety seven that Cincinnatiwas on top of Conference USA? They
were making Final four runs. Thankyou, Matt. So, Matt,
I sent you a clip. Ihope you've had time to load it before
I bring on the Hall of Famebasketball coach. I want you all to

(04:09):
listen to his Naysmith Hall of Fameintroduction. So, Matt, if you
could do me a favor, loadthat and play that before I bring on
the coach Huggins. You don't haveit, okay, Well, when you
get a chance, Matt, goto your email, get it and let
me know. But I'll bring on. This is the one and only coach
Bob Huggins. Nate Smith Hall ofFame twenty twenty two induction, over nine

(04:32):
hundred wins. Like I told youall, there's only six coaches. Think
of that now, guys. Sixcoaches with over nine hundred college wins,
numerous Final Four appearances Cincinnati and WestVirginia, numerous schools he has taken to
the Final four, Elite eight Sweetsixteen's, twenty plus NCAA appearances. I

(04:56):
could say the accolades more than Icould let him speak. Want to bring
him on to Eve's Sports Radio,the one and only coach, Bob Huggins,
Coach, Welcome to EVE Sports Radio. How are you. It's pleasure
to be on, Jerry Oh withouta doubt. You know this is your
second time on Coach. I wantpeople to know this is not your first
time. I've had you on fourcoach, Absolutely dope question. I tell

(05:20):
everybody my oldest brother, who wasthe fourth black athlete. You didn't know
this to go to the University ofKentucky and football player would always go to
the Final fours with me, coach, and we'd always eat and watch some
of the games in the restaurant orat the bar at the hotel, and
we'd always be in the headquarters wherethe head coaches were, and you were

(05:43):
his best buddy. You all usedto watch the games. He said,
I can't believe this is fight coachHuggins. His name is Carrie. If
you saw him you at knowing youwould hug him because you all would sit
and watch games and talk about itall the time during the Final four weekend
and ye, I mean carry youput an impression on him that. Honestly,
Carrious, I just can't believe howpersonable the guy is. He doesn't

(06:03):
know me and he talks to me. So the second year when you were
like, hey, what's going on, Carrie, He's like, I couldn't
believe it because he would always goto the final fours with me. So
I just appreciate you for that,coach, because you're bigger than life.
You've got a personality. You're justlike all the other great coaches. You
have done this at a very highlevel. I want to first talk to

(06:25):
you about your circumstance at your almaMada. You played at West Virginia for
two seasons. You were a graduateassistant coach there. You had turned the
West Virginia program around from the oldLowe's more days. See I know West
Virginia two. Coach Lowe's Moore isa really close friend of mine. Great
guard from Mount Vernon, Scude McCrae'sfriend that played We played them. You
turned West Virginia around. Tell peoplewhat you've done and to turn your life

(06:48):
around and get your situation straight withyour issue. Well, the first thing
I did was go to rehab.And I went to rehab immediately after the
DUI okay, and I went.I went through a rehab, came home
and decided to change my life.And I have drastically changed changed my life.

(07:17):
I haven't had a touch of alcoholin over three hundred days. Now.
There so excellent. I'm on,I'm on the I'm on the right
past. There you go, Coach. We've all everybody has made mistakes.
We know that. The only differenceis that when you're Coach Huggins, the

(07:41):
world knows your mistakes, but everyonehas made them. We know that.
I tell people everyone has advice.We just don't know what everyone's vices are.
But of course, being coach BobHuggins, the world's going to know
what your vices are. And Iappreciate you bet with your candor of what
you've done to turn this around andunderstanding your issue now, coach, people

(08:01):
are sitting here in Louisville because it'sa free fall. Everyone thought that people
would be crawling to the University ofLouisville job okay, and they haven't.
You a Hall of Fame coach inductedin twenty twenty two, A Hall of
Fame coach. Why would you haveinterest? Why is your hunger still there

(08:26):
at age seventy to want to continueto coach, especially in a hotbed like
University of Louisville. It is ahotbed right now, and they're in hunger
for victories is great. Why doyou want this kind of pressure? Coach?
Jerry? I grew up in basketball. You know, my father is

(08:46):
a Hall of Fame coach in Ohio, one of the great high school coaches
in the history of Ohio high schoolbasketball. He started a basketball camp of
which basically he and I ran togetherwhen I got when I got into into
college coaching. Uh, I didwhat I could do at the camp,

(09:11):
but my my younger brother, Larry, who was a was it what a
three four year starter at Ohio StateUniversity, took over. H It's been
a it's been a family thing.Just bringing in kids and watching them grow,
helping them grow not just with theirgame, but uh, with their

(09:35):
life. And and that's that's beengreat. And I came back here to
my alma mater, which needed help, and and I came back here,
Jerry, I built a state ofthe art practice facility. I raised the
money. I designed it. HWest Virginia University has the best pract facility

(10:00):
in America. Everybody who's come inhas said that. Uh Rick Patino's been
in. Uh, I couldn't believehow nice it is. Scott Drew,
I mean, you just go onand on. It's it's a it's a
state of the art deal. BecauseI felt like that, uh, our

(10:20):
guys uh should have something like that. Mm hmm and and uh so,
so I I set out to raisethe money to build it and build it
and it's uh it's beautiful. It'suh it's a place where you can go,

(10:41):
you know, night and day workon your game. It's it's it's
it's it's really what it ought tobe. And oh, I love basketball,
man. I mean I I Igrew up. I grew up with
with the basketball my hands. Igrew up. I grew up in initially

(11:03):
in West Virginia. I grew upin West Virginia and my grandfather put a
hoop up for me on the sideof the house. Uh. Unfortunately he
put it upside down, but hetold me it would be easier to make
him if it was down. SoI was. I was in the driveway.

(11:24):
The driveway was slanted downhill, andso if I if I if I
missed or banged it off the frontof the rim, and it was it
started rolling road. We're bouncing downthe driveway across the road and ended the
creek. And then I was chasingthe ball down the creek and down deckers
cricket, you know, retrieved theball absolutely. My grandfather, Jerry,

(11:48):
you'll love this now. My grandfather, we had a field next door,
next next to the next to thehouse, and my grandfather put ap and
he put it in the put itin the bank. And so I'm out
there shooting one day and my grandfathersaid, how do you like it?

(12:09):
And I said, I said,Pappy, we can't play a game here,
you know, I mean, youcan't run up the hill and dunk
it. That's not that's not legal. And he said, well, I
put it up there for you topractice your shot so it would roll right
back down to you. So Ihave said many many times in clinics and

(12:31):
whatever, I was blessed. Iwas the first one to ever have a
toss back. That's good. Thatis good, Coach. Your family was
innovative, that's for sure, Coach, Because Coach trusts me. We've all
chased that basketball across the street,down the hill into the creek. We've
all done it. Anyone that hasbeen successful with that business. I was

(12:54):
listening to you, going, yep, been there before, trying to stop
that ball. Coach. People justdidn't You just didn't have a grandfather invented
a toss back like that, exactly. I did not. And my dad
was five foot six, never playeda sport in his life. Just told
me if I was going to playit, I had to be good at
it. Coach, I did not. But it's funny. My dad was

(13:16):
one of the first microbiologists here inthe city of Louiso African American. And
I was looking at your resume andpeople don't know that you graduated magname Culotti.
People don't know that. See,they know the personality Coach Huggins,
they know the personality that they seeroaming that sideline. That's what they understand.
Sitting on that hide chair on thebench, looking looking at your players,

(13:41):
your players looking at you. Coach, other than Coach Crumb and John
Wooden, I think you had thebest control of your players of any coach
I've ever seen. They reacted toyou, they responded to you. You
didn't even have to yell at them, and you could see them respond to
you. And that's just factual.But there's a lot more Coach Huggins and
people understand. So Coach, we'reat seven twenty. I have to pay

(14:03):
bills, but I want everyone toknow we have Hall of Fame coach Bob
Huggins on with us and we've gota lot of detailed questions that we want
to ask him, and we're goingto ask him after the break. This
is EVE Sports Radio phone numbers five, two, nine hundred. I am
not taking calls today. Yes,Rick Bostich will be calling in from WDRB

(14:24):
to sit in with our interview sometimetoday. Talk to you in a minute.
Welcome back to Eve's Sports Radio.Says seven twenty four. Can't believe
it's the twenty seventh of March.March is just marching on. I have
the one and only b Natesmith Hallof Fame Bob Huggins sitting in with me

(14:45):
today. Coach Huggins, welcome backto the show. Coach. Let me
tell you thank you. We've talkedabout her. Arry. I want to
tell you something you probably don't know. My father was a great high school
coach. He coached a guy atStrasburg High School named John Studor. Okay,

(15:07):
when when John was trying to decideon a college, he said,
with my father and together they decidedthat the best place for him would be
Louisville. And John went to Louisvilleand played at Louisville. Yes, absolutely,
I didn't know that. Coach.Here's the thing, when you're talking
about University of Louisville and your interest. This morning, Derek Wittenberg called me

(15:33):
at five forty five in the morning, the Derek Wittenberg, n C State
coach of Marvano's player Naster champion,and was just talking about North Carolina State's
march to the Final four. Andwhen did he see me again in Phoenix.
I said, of course, I'vegot my ticket. I'll be there.
And I said I have coach Hugginscoming on, and Derek Wittenberg said
to me, you know what,that's the guy Lewis one needs to talk

(15:56):
to. I said, that's whatI called it. I said, with
let me tell you something. I'mtelling you. When it was approached to
me, I never thought about itat all. I never thought about your
name, coach, not at all. I was honest with you. But
Wittenberg said the same thing. I'vethought after that, you may be the
guy for this job. So thequestion is in all my listeners, Louisville

(16:18):
wants to know, why would youand why do you have interest in the
University of Louisville job? Tough jobnow, coach, coach, it's a
tough job. Now, I'm justgoing to be honest with you. The
undead are ruling the roost. Imean, we let the mob lead the
group, and now we're in asituation to where it's really entire straits.

(16:41):
Why would you have interest in theUniversity of Louisville job. Well, first
of all, with if you thinkthat scares me, it doesn't scare me,
not a little bit. I hadthe same situation at Cincinnati. I
had the same situation when I wentto Cincinnati. I went to Cincinnati from
UH, the University of Akron becauseI wanted to coach, and I wanted

(17:06):
to play the best, and atthat at at that time, UH,
that league of which you're very familiarwith, was the best. And to
be able to go to Cincinnati UHrevived that program. I've been blessed.
I mean I've been I've been blessed. I was. I was at Cincinnati.

(17:26):
I was around Oscar. Oscar wasin practice virtually every day, and
so I got to talk to Igot to talk to Oscar about a lot
of things about about basketball. Mydad's my dad was a Hall of Fame
coach in Ohio. So I hadI had that resource to fall back on.

(17:48):
I came. I came. Icame back to West Virginia where I
played, and Jerry West was here, Rod Thorne was here, Rod Huntley
was here here, and and Igot to I got to spend time with
Jerry and Rod and Rod and FritzUH and to learn a lot from those

(18:15):
guys. And you know, I'mI'm the son of a coach. I
grew up in coaching. My dad. I was the guy he said,
get in the car, you know, you never tell me where we were
going. He just said, getin the car, And so I got
in the car, and I wouldgo to clinic after clinic that my dad

(18:36):
went to and spoke to and thenstayed there all day and listened to everybody
else week. Basketball has been mylife. Basketball has been, uh,
what I've done my whole life asas a player, as a coach.

(18:56):
The thing that I'm most proud of, the thing that I'm most proud of
is my relationship with my guys.The relationship that I have with the guys
that I had at Walsh College,the guys that that my my first coaching
job, the guys that I hadat the University of Akron my my second

(19:17):
coaching job. The guys obviously thatI've had here at West Virginia. I
mean, and what's really neat isthe guys. The guys. The older
guys tell the younger guys coming inif you've got a problem, to go
see coach. And I've had guys, my wife and I have had guys

(19:44):
in and out of our home quitequite frequently, where when they have an
issue about virtually anything, they feelcomfortable enough because the older guys have told
them. That's the guy you needto go see that. It's you know,
it's it's it's it's been great.I mean it's it's it's what I've

(20:07):
done. I guess, I guesssince I was a little kid, or
not little, I don't know ifI was ever little. I grew up
big. But coach, big personality, coach, big personality. No,
but this job is going to takea huge personality. Coach. This job
is going to take all that BobHuggins has or anyone, because this one,

(20:30):
you're right now, is a veryvery tough job. I'm being honest
with you. Now you have Cincinnatiresurrected. Go ahead, coach, go
ahead. The boy. That wasn'tthe same thing at Cincinnati. It was
the same thing at Cincinnati. Itwas the same thing when I came to
West Virginia. It was the samething, the same thing when I was

(20:52):
at Kansas State for the brief thirdbefore I before I decided I wanted to
come home. Yes, programs indisarray, programs in disarray. Where you
comfortable with that, though, Coach, you are comfortable in that situation,
you can thrive in that situation.It's what you're saying uncertain fan based coach,
uncertainty about will we turn the programaround. These are all the things

(21:14):
that you would hear if you werecoming to the University of Louisville. You're
confidable comfortable with those things. I'velived that. I mean, I've lived
that. I've lived I lived thathere, I lived at at Cincinnati.
I mean Cincinnati was Cincinnati was inthere straits when I got there, and
and we fixed that. And there'sthere's absolutely no reason why I can't come

(21:40):
into Louisville and make Louisville what itwas before. I mean, I've been
blessed, you know. I IUh. I got to spend a lot
of time with Denny Crump. Uh. He kind of was a guy who
and and if you remember, Iwas the guy that I was opposing coach
that coach Crome would come and sitwith before the game. I would put

(22:04):
his arm around before the game,and well, I think he saw something
and I was mad. So Iwanted to beat you, Coach Martin and
the guys you had. You hada great team. That's when I came
back to Louisville. You were theteam to beat. Cincinnati was the team
to beat. When I came backto university level in nineteen ninety six.

(22:27):
That's the worst team in the league. They were the worst team in the
league when I got there. Nowthey're now that then they then they became
the best team. True, verytrue. But the issues, the issues.

(22:47):
I just want to teach you withsome of Uiville's issues. You know
that when coach Betina was here,Coach Crumb was here, we had sellouts.
We were afterging six thousand people agame. Just the facts. When
the names used to be played,the city would be exciting, The city
would be on fire, the restaurantswould be full, the hotels would be
full. Right now, coach,there's no excitement at all in this town.

(23:10):
None. We need to rejuvenate.The city needs it, the fan
base needs it, the tax baseneeds it. This is just more than
turning around a basketball team. Thisperson that comes to University of Louisville is
going to have to take on andaccept all the responsibilities that comes with it.
You're ready for that, Jerry.I heard the same thing when I

(23:30):
went to Kansas State. I heardthe same thing when I went to Cincinnati.
I turned those around. What's thefirst thing you would do, Coach
what's the first thing you would doif you could get the University of Louisville
Hitman's basketball coaching job. What wouldbe the first thing you'd want to do?
Sit down with the players. Okay, and a lot of them have

(23:53):
thrown their dame name into portal.Coach, that's the problem. They've thrown
their name in the portal. Imean, they've gone anywhere, but they've
thrown the name in the portal.But you'd still want to sit and speak
with them first. Absolutely, absolutelyabsolutely sit down and sit down and speak
with them and have them help me. Tell me what's wrong, tell me,

(24:15):
tell me what they they they thinkwe could do better or need to
do better. I did that here. I did that. I did that
here at West Virginia. I didthat at Cincinnati. I sat with I
sat with Lars Robinson, Lou Banks, those guys at at Cincinnati, and

(24:36):
I said, you tell me,you tell me what we need to fix,
and we'll fix it. And wedid. Uh. I'm I'm I'm
believed or not. I mean,people have a hard time believing, but
I am a player's coach. Ibelieve, I believe. I mean,

(24:56):
I'm I'm I listen, you know. I don't. I'm not one of
those guys who just tells tells,tells, tells tells. You know,
I listen. I listened to seewhat we what they think we need to
do better. I mean, there, there's there's there's there's a lot of

(25:17):
things, Jerry, there's there's there'sa lot of things that, uh,
like, Coach, we can't getin the gym, uh, you know
whatever, the women are in thegym, volleyballs in the gym, you
know whatever. So what do wedo. We built a practice facility,
you know. We It's it's notit's not rocket science, but but it

(25:41):
is. It's it's work. It'sit's hard work. It's it's going out
in the community and and reaching outto people in the community to get the
get the people that that at onetime were die hard Louisville fans. I
can remember. I can remember,Carrie, where I was. We were

(26:02):
down in Atlanta at a at adeal for the coaches in the league.
And I walked downstairs and I wasstanding downstairs and some guy came up and
put his arm around me, andI looked it was Coach Crumb. He
said, come on, let mebuy your breakfast, and I went and
said and had had breakfast with CoachCrumb, and I asked him, how,

(26:30):
how how did you get Louisville towhere it is today? And he
sat there and talked to me fora long long time and was was was
very frank, was very honest.Uh. And and I have said that
at many clinics, many many placesthat I've spoke that, you know,

(26:52):
the the question always comes out ishow did you get to where you are?
And I said, I was blessed. I was blessed to have people
like like Denny Crome who took aninterest in me. I was blessed to
be around guys like Jerry West,Rod Hunley, Rod Thorn. They they

(27:14):
they were great to me. Youknow, I I I got there,
I think at the right time becauseI got the I got the coach against
guys like Denny Crome, Larry Finch, Devin O'Neil, Charlie Spoon, Houur,
Yes, Perry Clark, great coach. And I learned m I learned.

(27:37):
I took what what I sold thoseguys do so well and tried to
incorporate that into what I do.Coach. I'm at seven thirty seven.
I got a piece more bills.We have the one and only Hall of
Fame Natesmith Hall of Fame coach,coach Bob Huggins, one of six guys
with over nine hundred wins. There'sonly sixeople that have done with this gentleman

(28:00):
has done. We're talking frankly aboutthe University of Louisville job and his interest.
Coach. You don't know it,but I have Rick Bostich, the
person I told you was going tocall you. He is sitting in with
us now. He's on listening tous. So when we come back,
our introduce him and we both havea few more questions for you before the
end of the show. This isEVE Sports Radio. There's a we have

(28:22):
a privileged guest with us, thecoach Bob Huggins. I've got Rick Bostich
online three. I'll be back afterthe break. Welcome back to EVE Sports
Radio. At seven forty one.How quickly the show passes. I have
the one and only Hall of Famecoach Bob Huggins sitting in with us again.
Over nine hut of college wins.Has won seventy percent of his games,

(28:45):
guys seventy percent of his games hastaken two teams to the Final four.
Nineteen ninety two, Cincinnati resurrected,twenty ten West Virginia resurrected. We're
not going to talk about all thesweet sixteens, the Great aids, all
those things. Coach Huggins is oneof six sitting in with us. Coach
I've got of course, I toldyou about Rick Bosa yesterday and Coach I

(29:07):
hold it against him, but hesaid one of my former cardinals was better
than me, and I don't likehim for it, but he's a decent
person. You should talk to him. His name's Rick Bosa's Rick. Welcome
to the show. How are you. Good morning, Coach Huggins, Good
morning, Coach Eves. There's onlyone coach on this it's Coach Huggins.
Coach, we've got about fifteen minutesand I'm going to ask you a question

(29:30):
that you can answer. Then we'regoing to go to a quick break,
and then Coach Boat and then CoachBosas. I can't even believe I said
that. Rick, that's embarrassing you, right, Coach, Oh my goodness,
I know you're O O. ThenRick, Rick. Finally, Rick
has a question. But here's thequestion. Coach. Everybody wants to know.

(29:52):
They think at your age at seventy, they want to know how long
you can do this, how longyou have the fire and the belly.
Well, we have to be lookingfor another coach in three or four years.
What would you tell the Louisville fanbase if you were able to get
this job? Cherry? Basketball ismy life. I mean that's I've done
this. I've done this since Iwas old enough to walk. I guess.

(30:15):
I love basketball. I love basketball. I love being in basketball.
I love coaching in basketball. Ilove working with young people. Uh,
I've got I've got guys that Imean they they they come to my house,
you know, almost daily, Uh, to sit and talk. I

(30:37):
love basketball. I love I loveeverything about it. And it's it's uh,
it's something I grew up with.My family is is has been basketball
and uh from my dad, mybrothers. Both of my brothers were college
players, one at Ohio State,uh uh, one one down in Texas

(31:02):
and and and I played at WestVirginia. I mean, we're we're basketball
people. That's what you do.That's what I do. It's what I
do. It's what I got it. You got to be good at something,
right, Jared. I mean,you're good at radio. I'm good
at coaching, So you're extremely goodat coaching. Extremely good at coaching.

(31:22):
That's a fact. Rick. Whenwe're sitting here, and I told you
Bob Rick was going to sit inwith me today and we were going to
talk about the dilemma of the Universityof Louisville. Where they are in the
coaching coaching search quick synopsis. Whereis Louisville and the coaching search in your
opinion, that's a great question.As you know, they went for police,

(31:45):
tried to talk to Scott Drew.That didn't really go anywhere. Then
they I think they thought they hadDusty May locked up and he changed his
mind on Saturday night decided to goto Michigan. Then at that point it
sounds like they pivoted to talk toJosh at Indiana State. And now it
seems like Richard Patino and Pat Kelseyare two of the names on the list.

(32:07):
That's the best I can figure itout at this point. As you
know, in coaching searches, there'salways a lot of information and misinformation.
Well, now that we know thatcoach Huggins has interest, I think it's
important that we make sure that welet the city of Louisville know that there
is a Hall of Fame coach thatcould take this job and turn it around.
It has to be turned around beforewe go to break. I just

(32:29):
want to interject one thing, AndI told Coach Huggins this Louisville doesn't need
a coach. It needs a coachand a personality. We must be honest
with ourselves. To bring in acoach is not going to do it here.
We need a person that is biggerthan life. We do rick.
You know that and I know that. And Coach Huggins is a person that

(32:50):
can do both. He's an excellentcoach. He relates to his players.
I know Coach Huggins. I probablyknow fifty of your players and your assistant
coaches that have worked for you.I've been in this business thirty plus years,
just like you. Everyone loves CoachHuggins. There's not an ill word
from anyone that has been around you, Coach about you. They all love
you. But louis Will needs yourpersonality. They need to put butts in

(33:14):
seats. They need that. Also, this job is a tough job right
now. I just want people toknow that. So, guys, some
forty six, we're gonna get toour last break, Coach Huggins, We're
gonna hit you with the real CanI can? I? Can I inject
something? Sure? I put buttsin the seats for Louisville when I was
at Cincinnati. That is so true, Coach, that is true. We

(33:39):
hated you, coach, but wecame to boo you. That is for
sure. Great. Great call,guys, when we come back name engine
like this is going to be thequestion from coach Boches for the one and
only Bob Huggins. Eastworts Radio willtalk to you in a minute. Welcome
back to sports Radio seven fifty exciting. I've got the Hall of Fame coach

(34:00):
Bob Huggins sitting with us. I'vegot the Rick Moosis from WDRB, close
friend of mine sometimes talking basketball,talking University of Louisville. Rick, I
want you to go ahead and carrythe segment. Ask Coach Huggin some of
the questions you have, and I'lllet you all know when we've got a
minute left. Yeah, Coach,good to talk to you. I hope

(34:21):
you're doing well. I just isthis the first that you really talk to
people or let it out that you'reinterested in the Louisville job, or if
you tried to get with Louisville peopleand had any success at all. No,
this is the first. This isit, you know, and coach

(34:43):
Josh heard the athletic director when helet Kenny Payne go talked about how he
wanted to get somebody a little bityounger who could be here for ten or
twenty years. If you did geta chance to talk to him, what
would your plan be, how wouldyou navigate that part of it? Well,
I don't know about twenty, butI could be here for ten or

(35:04):
fifteen. Twenty might be a stretch. Say ten is not a problem,
Hey, guys, Coach Bettino isgoing strong. There are a lot of
coaches that coaches coach in their seventiesthat do do a good job. So
Rick go ahead. Honestly, ifI walked in, you wouldn't you wouldn't

(35:29):
worry about me being being seventy.I'm in I'm in a really good shape.
Uh. I'm excited. I'm excited. I want to go to work.
I want to go to work andgo back to the Final four.
Take a team to the Final four. Love to take Local to the final
four. And uh and when atthis time there you go coach a lot

(35:54):
of your peers that have been inthe game. You know, obviously coach
k Roy Williams, even we'll talkabout Nick Saban and football have gotten out
of the game. People have theorizedthat that's hard with with n I L
and the transfer portal, how wouldyou handle that part of it? And
why does that not discourage you?It's I mean, it's it's it's part

(36:19):
of what we do. Uh.The transfer portal is any more than recruiting.
You're gonna, You're gonna. Yougotta recruit those kids. You got
to you got to recruit them thereyou gotta get you got to sell them
something, you gotta you gotta sellthem the fact that they can come there
be successful. I mean, everybodywants to play in the n b A.
I wanted to play in the nb A. Jerry want to play

(36:40):
in the NBA. Everybody wanted togrow up playing in the n b A.
You you you sell the fact thatif you come in, you work
hard, you're you're with somebody whocan help you get to where you want
to be. And I mean that'sThat's what I've done my whole career is
is try to help guys get towhere they want to be. What as

(37:05):
you've watched what's going on at Louisvillefor those of us who are here,
it's been hard to believe the waythe program is now compared to what it
used to be. How much haveyou watched or followed what's happened? And
do you have any thoughts and whatdo you think has gone wrong? I
honestly, I haven't really followed thatclosely, uh until until recently. I've

(37:30):
you know, I've tried to.I tried to look at at what's there
now, but not recent not I'veI've had my own you know, I've
had my own things to h takecare of. Ye West Virginia in your
own issues, coach sitting back,which you want to tell which you've taken

(37:53):
care of? What would you tellthe city of Louisville, like coach most
that you would say? What wouldyou say if you walked in were introduced
as the next men's basketball coach atUniversity of Louisville? What would you tell
the University of Louisville that they wouldsee that they would experience at the games.
Well one, I'm really excited.I would be really excited to be

(38:14):
there. I would want to beuh and do what what coach Crumb did.
H I I've always I've always hada had a I love for Louisville,
Believe it or not. I lovegoing to Louisville and playing. I
love the fan base, the way, the way they embraced the team,

(38:39):
the way they embraced Louisville basketball.I I think it's a I think it's
a great place. I think it'ssomething that fits me perfectly, much much
like Cincinnati did when I got toCincinnati. I mean Cincinnati. Cincinnati was

(39:00):
in dire straits when I got there, and and the city of Cincinnati fell
in love with what we did,the way we played, who we played.
We weren't afraid, we weren't afraidto play anybody. And and I
think the people that that we broughtinto Cincinnati to play were people that ended

(39:22):
up being NBA All Stars. AndI think they appreciated the fact that we
didn't hide from anybody. You know, we were gonna we were going to
play whoever it was, line themup and let's go play. And and
I think that's the mentality that Louisvillepeople would would like to see, not
not running and hiding from people,but rather challenging people. Come on,

(39:47):
We're ready, Come on, Come, come, come, try to be
us and and that's been my philosophyeverywhere I've ever been coach. We're gonna
leave it at that because you hitit on the head. That's what we
want. We don't want these patsypreseason schedules. We want to play the
best. We want to bring thebest November and December into Louisville. That's

(40:09):
what Louisville needs. Coach Huggins,I love you. I appreciate you for
coming on Estworts Radio. Rick Bosich, I don't love you, but I
have to tolerate you. But you'rea man God coach. Best of luck,
and we're gonna push you. Thisis the Sports Radio. Take care,
I'll be with you tomorrow. Byebye,