MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The coaching careers of Bob Huggins and Cliff Ellis have spanned disco to the iPhone, with a combined 80 seasons and 1,701 wins.
They have experienced both heartbreak and triumph, from Huggins losing the nation’s best player in Kenyon Martin prior to the 2000 NCAA tournament at Cincinnati to Ellis’ Clemson team getting beat at the buzzer by Tate George and Connecticut in the 1990 Sweet 16.
Their paths have crossed numerous times in the offseason, usually at some Nike clinic.
“I know Cliff real well,” said Huggins, he of 860 career wins, with 267 of them during his 12 seasons with the Mountaineers.