Following a WVU game, win or lose, Bob Huggins speaks with his team behind closed doors. Sometimes it’s quick, sometimes it’s not and sometimes it’s epic. Last year, for example, we media stood outside the locker room at Louisville for 29 minutes. That’s the acknowledged record.

Anyhow, when all has been said, Huggins emerges and goes to do the radio postgame show. We media then scramble to get player interviews before Huggins finishes radio and heads to his press conference.

I mention this because Huggins, who is just really good behind a microphone, usually has some good stuff for the radio and we media miss it. Take Monday night, for example.

“All of this stuff about us having the best crowd, no we don’t,” Huggins said. “You have the best crowd when you show up all the time. If that offends somebody, then so be it.”

“They show up when they want to show up. And that’s not right.”

Huggins has long hinted that the student section tickets that go unused should be sold to the general public. 

“We are getting to the point now where people want to buy those tickets,” Huggins said. “Why do we have sections sitting empty when the students don’t come?” 

“We need them,” Huggins said concerning the support of the students. “We are fighting like crazy to get to the NCAA tournament. It would be great to have the whole student section filled. It’s an unbelievable atmosphere. We need that help.” 

Well played, sir. It’s a road game. People are listening at home. A big game awaits Friday against Villanova. I’m thinking the message was delivered. That said, I’ll also side with the students for just a moment. I don’t think they have very good seats.

Do they deserve better ones? Yes and no. Yes, because they’re students and it should be about them. No, because, as Huggins said, they’re not consistent in their attendance. I also think any student section that regularly features “Gary Coleman” chants and calls the officials and opponents a-holes should have certain restrictions. It’s amateur, bordering on adolescent.

I’m not offering fixes and the Mountaineer Maniacs do have their moments that make even DeJuan Blair smile, but I sometimes wonder if the attendance isn’t a product of the seating.

Maybe it’s just me — though I doubt it — but I look around and notice the best student sections are close to the game. I look around the Coliseum and see great seats that go to the big and best spenders who, quite frankly, don’t do much during the game. I also see a good number of close-to-the-court student seats, but also a section that ascends into the altitude, where it becomes difficult to participate in and influence the game. No seats behind the bench or behind the basket? Tough to really rattle people, though, again, WVU has its moments. Could it have more moments if in a better position? Probably. Could it be put in better position? That’s a strategic and, more importantly, financial decision left up to WVU. 

I’m fine with selling the student seats, but only as a last resort — and we may be near there. WVU has to pay bills, which is who so many of the best seats are sold. If the students aren’t going to take their seats, why not sell them to people who will not only buy them, but rationalize their purchase? I’d just rather see a way for the students to have better seats and a better opportunity to be all they can be and all the Mountaineers need them to be.