Longtime WVU Men’s Basketball Aide Fired
Harrison Was With Huggins All 16 Years
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MORGANTOWN -- While over the past 16 years there have been an increasing number of potholes in the path of the West Virginia basketball program, the Mountaineers have managed to steer through them and keep from falling into the sinkhole of defeat.
No longer.
With the losses mounting and the attitude of victory-starved fans becoming more abrasive, coach Bob Huggins has managed to keep moving his Mountaineer basketball program in the right direction, and one of the things that he was most proud of was the continuity he had.
No more.
With four straight Big 12 losses and the season seemingly slipping away, something had to give. What gave was unexpected as the program parted ways with long-time assistant coach Larry Harrison on Thursday.
Harrison had been with Huggins for the entire 16 years he has been in Morgantown.
The terse press announcement came in late afternoon and in some ways was cryptic, for it never said that Huggins himself had fired Harrison, only that the school had parted ways with him. Nor did it give a reason for the move.
"The West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has parted ways with men’s basketball associate head coach Larry Harrison," read the release.
Coming as suddenly and without warning as it did, one is led to wonder whether new athletic director Wren Baker was involved or behind the decision.
Huggins’ affection for Harrison was well-known and quite obvious in that Harrison had coached 24 years with the Hall of Fame head coach, eight of them in Cincinnati.
The statement offered up in the press release did not reflect the state of the relationship between Huggins and Harrison.
"I want to thank Larry for his years of service to Mountaineer basketball, and I wish him well in his future endeavors," it read.
After a 10-2 start on the season, WVU has lost four straight Big 12 games to sit in last place in the conference.
The team has been mired in controversy, first with Erik Stevenson being nailed with a technical foul that helped lead to a loss for making what was considered an obscene gesture at Oklahoma State after hitting a 3-point shot that put the Mountaineers in the lead.
Then, Wednesday afternoon, the Mountaineers learned that Manhattan transfer Jose Perez’s appeal to be made eligible immediately was denied, leading Huggins to shoot off criticism of the decision and the committee that made it.
Harrison’s departure is the second from the coaching staff that had remained virtually intact throughout Huggins’ stay. Erik Martin left this past offseason to take his first head coaching job at South Carolina State.
According to the school, a search for a replacement will begin immediately. It’s expected in the meantime that former WVU player Alex Ruoff, who is a graduate assistant, might take over some of Harrison’s duties while Ron Everhart and Josh Eilert, who was promoted to Martin’s place when he left, will have increased game preparation and scouting roles.