When James Clements was announced as WVU’s president-elect last month, his press conference was broadcast on the radio for all to hear. A while in, he was asked about athletics and late in his answer he said he was looking forward to the next day’s men’s basketball game against Louisville. Clements then expressed he had full faith in Coach Higgins.

“Oh, no,” I thought.  

Surely he knew it was Huggins. I’d heard Huggins talking about the election that day in Louisville pregame interviews. Presumably they’d met … and how does one forget Huggins? Maybe it was a slip of the tongue — Lord knows we have them — but that was hardly the time or the place. Forget it was his introduction. People were legitimately worried how the new administration would work with athletics. Some start.

It was, of course, discussed in the days and weeks after and I once mentioned it to someone within the athletic department’s infrastructure, though I was told sports, and basketball, in particular, thought it had a friend in Clements. And maybe that’s right. Maybe we shouldn’t hold his Towson pedigree against him. In fact, maybe we should study it.

Towson, led by aggressive President Robert Caret and his administrative team on which Clements has played no small part, has pushed growth, including plans for a $45 million arena, scheduled to open in 2011.

Caret’s administration has been bullish on selling the suburban Baltimore university of 21,000 students, and reports have said the faculty appreciates the administration’s openness and praised Clements’ strength in his provost’s role.

Clements, a Maryland-Baltimore County alumnus, will be going from a school with a $16 million athletic budget and Football Championship Subdivision program (formerly Division I-AA) to a Big East Conference school with a budget that approaches $50 million.

Hermann said the WVU president will fit, however.

“Jim is going to be missed here,” Hermann said. “He’s fun to work with, an engaging person. He will take time to understand your viewpoint and consider it.

“I’d describe him as a ‘sports guy.’ I don’t know if he played, but he has an appreciation for athletics and has a great interest in our program. I’d doubt it will be any different at West Virginia.”