It could be argued that West Virginia has one of the most adept coaching staffs in all of college basketball. It begins at the top, of course, with Bob Huggins and his resume needs neither explanation nor embellishment.

To his side is a former player all-conference player in Erik Martin and two former head coaches. First is Larry Harrison, a former Huggins assistant at Cincinnati who led Hartford from 2000-06 and spent last season as a scout for the Washington Wizards. Then there’s Billy Hahn, who has 30 years in the business, including 12 at Maryland, where he was responsible for much of the recruiting success as well as some other exciting moments. After his time with the Terrapins, Hahn was in charge of a resurgent LaSalle from 2001-04.

That ended badly, though, and Hahn spent three years out of the game until he was hired by Huggins in May, a decision for which he is eternally grateful.

“I just have so much respect for the game. Honestly, if I’d had to, I don’t know what else I’d do. I owe everything to Bob Huggins and the WVU administration. I’m so grateful to all of the people involved who helped make this happen. It took some courage on their part to take a stand, and they did.

“I’ve always been a very passionate guy. There’s a lot of gas left in my tank. And I’m here for one reason — to help Bob Huggins and West Virginia win a national title. Some people say it can’t happen here. Tell me a reason why we can’t … The passion of fans in this state for their sports, for WVU football and basketball … It’s as passionate as any place I’ve been.”