He's Gone...

Thousands of Mountaineer fans are on suicide watch today as John Beilein made it official yesterday that he is indeed leaving West Virginia University for the University of Michigan. Shocking? No. Disappointing? Yeah...probably. So, I've heard anger, shock, dismay, doom and gloom since the announcement. Very few people think West Virginia can continue to play basketball at a high level without Beilein. I think that's wrong. West Virginia lucked into Beilein...but there's no reason they can't find another coach that can lead the Mountaineers. Here's some of the top choices:

Bobby Huggins - It didn't take long for the Huggins' fans to come out and demand Pastilong call Bobby. The Hugginites think Bobby can do no wrong. Well, guess what...he can. The type of players Huggins attracts aren't necessarily the image the university wants. Do we need another Adam Jones or Chris Henry? What about another Jonathan Hargett? And Huggins' own character is questionable. He's a good coach and can probably win at WVU...but at what price? Seriously.

Jeff Neubaurer - He knows the system...he knows the system...he knows the system (repeat as needed). Who cares if he knows the system? Do you think Michigan cares that Amaker and Beilein run different systems? Playing style changes...so, I don't see that as a major positive for Neubaurer. On the other hand, Neubaurer did recruit several of the current players, which is good. And Neubaurer has been successful at Eastern Kentucky. But he has only 2 years of head coaching experience. Personally, I think he's the frontrunner at this point.

Travis Ford - Ford is a young coach from UMass that raved about the "atmosphere" in the Coliseum and word is that he has expressed interest in the job. Ford has no ties to West Virginia so there will be that fear that he will leave if a bigger job is offerred. Well, guess what? Most coaches will...we can't pick a coach that we think will die at WVU. Anyway, Ford could be an intriguing choice. He's turned around the UMass program and could continue the success at WVU. He's definitely worth a look.

Jerry Dunn - Yeah...why don't you just cut the program now and bring back track? Dunn is your choice if mediocrity is your end goal. He's a "safe" hire because he knows the program and he knows the players. But there's a reason that Penn State fired him...it's called losing. I just think this would set the program back...let's call Gale Catlett.

Mike Carey - Giving the job to the women's basketball coach doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Carey has never coached men's basketball at a high level and, let's face it, the guy is a jerk from what I understand. I know people who knew him when he coached at Salem and they say he is just horrible. And, as for character, Bobby Huggins might be better. On the other hand, Carey has been successful with the women...he's really turned around a dead program at WVU. I think we should just let him continue to work on them.

Me - A lot of upside. Nice guy. All-knowing...all-seeing. Will personally bring back the box-and-one. Already has assistant coaches picked and one of them actually plays basketball. But not much experience at this level of basketball. Still, probably towards the top of the list.