MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — In his days as a bright-eyed idealist, Bob Huggins had a brilliant idea.
Through the power of the pen, the up-and-coming young coach would convince Louisville coach Denny Crum — then one of the titans of the sport — to play a game at Akron. He sent Crum a letter highlighting how such a game would benefit both programs.
To his credit, Crum did not ball up the letter and dunk it into his trash can.
“I thought I had all these great reasons,” Huggins recalled. “He wrote me a great letter saying how much money they made every time they opened the doors at Freedom Hall.