I saw this last night on Deadspin and actually re-tweeted something about it, but it definitely deserves further comment. People who attended the 2012 Nike Championship Basketball Clinic in Pittsburgh on Apriil 14 are claiming that WVU head men's basketball coach Bob Huggins was drunk during his presentation:

[A]ccording to an eyewitness, West Virginia's Bob Huggins is the only [coach] reported to have been "slirring [sic] his speech, swaying, talking in circles and dropping f bombs" when it was his turn. Huggins's talk was called "Our Man to Man Offensive Concepts," and it was scheduled to take place at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. A source in Pittsburgh just told me eight different people who were there have confirmed to him Huggins was wasted.

Okay. So, what to think after no less than five people tweeted that Huggs was drunk/bombed/trashed/wasted/loaded while presenting on WVU's "Man to Man Offensive Concepts"? Well, I wasn't there, so I can't say for sure whether he was actually drunk. And it's not like Huggy swaying, talking in circles, or especially dropping F-bombs is anything out of the ordinary. However, we do know Huggins and alcohol have a history of memorable(?) times together. He was fired at Cincinnati after being arrested for a DUI, he has a reputation for pounding cold ones and shots, and anyone who has ever been to Kegler's after a home basketball game knows that Bobby likes to throw a few back.

Not that there is anything wrong with it, since most of the rest of Morgantown is right there with him buying him drinks. And isn't that one of the things we love about him? That he's one of us, right down to his passion for West Virginia and his affinitiy for booze? I know personally I embrace it. I just hope for Huggs' sake and for the sake of WVU that he doesn't hurt himself or anyone else in the process. And I don't think he will. But dang, being drunk while presenting at a coaching clinic? If true, it has to concern you at least a little, right?

Oh, and there are also the suspicious incidents when he stumbled and fell while getting off a plane in Charlotte in May 2008 (let's just say I wouldn't be surprised to hear he had been up til the wee hours the night before boozing with WVU grad students---let's just say), when he suffered two black eyes in June 2009 from, uh, walking into his bathroom door late at night, and when he broke four ribs during a fall in a Las Vegas hotel room in July 2010. All I'm saying is that for a guy who played Division I basketball, the man's coordination sure has slipped in the last 40 years. So maybe being drunk while presenting at a coaching clinic isn't all that far-fetched.

Heck, if I had to get up in front of hundreds of coaches and talk about offensive concepts after my team just finished 141st in the country in shooting percentage and 275th in 3-point shooting percentage, I'd probably need a few shots too. In fact, WVU's offensive performance throughout the year probably begs the question of whether Huggins was drunk at practice while he was trying to teach the concepts to his team:

"Okay, guys, here's what we're gonna do. I want Gary to bring the ball up and dribble around til there's about 12 seconds left on the shot clock. If he hasn't turned it over by then, everyone else stand still while Truck tries to get open so Gary knows to throw the ball to the guy who is moving. Kevin, you're our best player, so stay as far away from the play as you can so you don't get hurt. Truck, when the clock gets down below 5 seconds, try to throw up something off-balance, preferably a 3. Kevin, that's when you try to get the rebound and put it back in. Deniz, if Kevin doesn't get the rebound, I want you to grab it and either barrel into someone for a charge or put up one of those running hook shots with your off-hand. But for God's sake, don't get fouled."

Kinda makes you wonder, doesn't it?