West Virginia basketball's top coaching target sticks with Utah State
Yesterday at 11:09 AM
West Virginia basketball’s search for a new head coach continues. The Mountaineers are missing out on Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun as he is signing a deal to stay with the Aggies, per CBS Sports.
Calhoun just won 26 games this season at Utah State. He led the Aggies to the NCAA tournament, where the school got beat soundly by UCLA in the Round of 64.
Calhoun was previously an assistant at West Virginia under Bob Huggins. He was on the staff when Huggins led the school to the Final Four in 2010. Calhoun also coached at nearby West Virginia Division II school Fairmont State, where he reached a national championship.
“Shocked that West Virginia couldn’t get this done with Calhoun. He was the easy pick, especially with his connections to the state,” Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman said on X, formerly Twitter.
Calhoun was in his first season at Utah State this year. He is now set to be the second highest-paid coach in the Mountain West with this new deal, per CBS Sports.
West Virginia basketball is searching for some stability
West Virginia basketball is dealing with some rocky times. The school is looking for their fourth head coach in as many seasons, after Darian DeVries left the school for Indiana.
DeVries was hired last season to be the full-time replacement to Bob Huggins. Huggins left the job following a DUI arrest in 2023. He was replaced by interim coach Josh Eilert, who went 9-23 in one season.
DeVries won 19 games this past season at West Virginia, and the future seemed bright. Then in one fell swoop, things fell apart for the program. WVU was the first team out of the NCAA tournament despite appearing in several bracketology projections.
The bracket reveal angered West Virginia fans. West Virginia’s governor Patrick Morrisey announced an investigation into the NCAA over the tournament snub. The Mountaineers finished the season with six quad 1 wins, which was more than at least two of the First Four programs.
Then, things just got worse. Coach DeVries left for Indiana just a few days later. That frustration has spilled over as the West Virginia coaching search has gone on in recent days.
The next coach will have to rebuild the program. West Virginia lost both of its freshman players to the transfer portal, as KJ Tenner and Jonathan Powell are leaving. Several players from this year’s team have exhausted eligibility, including star point guard Javon Small. West Virginia’s entire recruiting class is also de committing since DeVries’ departure.
West Virginia basketball fans are hoping that good news reaches them soon.
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