Bob Huggins was the speaker at commencement ceremonies yesterday for WVU’s School of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences and he had some insightful words for the Class of 2011. I’ll let you guess which town in Ohio he referenced.

Included, of course, was the tale of the fellow with no rearview mirror, the tip from an assistant football coach years back stating people were West Virginia’s greatest resource and something from someone named Warren Newton. It all went over exceptionally well.

The general theme was to encourage listeners to never look back or else you’ll get caught by others who are wise enough to keep moving, learning, developing. Speaking to a mass of now former students who will mostly pursue coaching or education or both, Huggins left them with this story I’d only heard once before

“I taught this dog to run and sit,” Huggins said. “I’d throw something, she’d run and get it, come back and I’d say ‘Sit.’ She’d sit.”

Now he had to get through to his players.

“We’re holding a not particularly good practice and I’m thinking about my dog. I don’t know why, but I was and it hit me. If I can teach a dog to run and sit, I can teach these guys. Joe Mazzulla will tell you. I have a treadmill in practice and if these guys don’t play hard, it’s on the treadmill and they run. In a game, if they don’t do what I tell them, they sit.

“It’s just like the dog … run and sit.”