Former Indiana basketball coach gets vote of confidence for WVU job from Dick Vitale

Could a former Indiana basketball head coach be back on the sidelines in the near future? The college basketball world received breaking news over the weekend that West Virginia coach Bob Huggins was resigning and now a massive spot on the sidelines is open.

Following a difficult past two months for Huggins, a DUI was the final mark on his tenure in Morgantown. Now, the Mountaineers are looking for a new coach while trying to keep its roster — made up of a large amount of transfers — intact.

Reports have indicated that the Mountaineers are looking for a ‘full-time replacement, not an interim’ head coach. But, one national personality says he has the perfect name for the position in the meantime.

Dick Vitale wrote on twitter that he thinks former Indiana basketball coach Tom Crean is the guy he would take.

A guy with all kind of head coaching big time experience who would be super during the 1 yr @WVUhoops waiting period to make a final decision would be @TomCrean

— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) June 18, 2023

Crean has had history with taking over programs in a bit of turmoil. He took over the Indiana basketball program following the NCAA investigation revolving around Kelvin Sampson. He was on the sidelines in Bloomington for nine seasons and led the Hoosiers from a 6-25 record in year one to a future No. 1 overall ranking and three Sweet Sixteen’s.

The experience he has not only helping a program right the ship but building a program, is something not a lot of available coaches can provide right now.

Crean is 403-306 in 22 years as a head coach. He has been to the NCAA Tournament nine times — including one Final Four (2003).

With the news of the West Virginia opening only 48 hours old, there are a lot of logistics that will come into play in the next few days. But, the program needs to move quickly to allow the current roster the time to determine if they will stay in Morgantown or move elsewhere through the transfer portal.

SEE ALSO: Indiana basketball recruiting beginning to click on all cylinders: ‘I wanted to be able to sit at the table with the best players’

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