An ignominious end

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend celebrating Father’s Day, and take some time today during Juneteenth. The college basketball news cycle didn’t stop, as one occurrence sent shockwaves through the sport’s landscape.

1. ‘I have let all of you — and myself — down’

It’s been an interesting offseason for West Virginia, to say the least.

The Mountaineers, fresh off a semi-unexpected NCAA Tournament appearance, did Yeoman’s work in the transfer portal, landing numerous impactful players such as Jesse Edwards, RaeQuan Battle and Kerr Kriisa. The moves placed them in the upper echelon of Sports Illustrated, 247Sports and EvanMiya’s transfer class rankings. Factor in the program’s prestige and coaching acumen, and multiple media outlets pegged WVU as a preseason Top 25 squad.

But talent, pedigree, game plans and Xs and Os only get you so far — because basketball teams are comprised of real people with real lives who commit real actions. And unfortunately for West Virginia, the man who holds the clipboard couldn’t hold it together.

Saturday morning, news surfaced regarding Bob Huggins — a DUI charge in Pittsburgh on the night of June 16. Now, in the past two years, multiple coaches and players have been caught in similar situations. Mild discipline was doled out in most instances.

But Huggins’ case was different. The coach had already embroiled himself in controversy just a month and a half earlier when he used an anti-gay slur in a radio interview. Then, details trickled out about his DUI, and West Virginia promptly issued a statement.

By the end of the day, Huggins had resigned.

It marked an unceremonious ending to an acclaimed career. At 935 career wins, he was the active D-I leader; he also has two Final Fours ( at two different programs) on his résumé. Beyond his on-court success, Huggins uniquely resonated with players and his staff. Just look at the myriad tributes that flooded Twitter in the wake of his announcement (Andy Kennedy, Frank Martin, Jose Perez, Erik Stevenson, Kerr Kriisa and Jimmy Bell, among others.)

The logistics of his resignation will play out over the next few weeks.

West Virginia players now have a 30-day window to transfer, per new NCAA rules. Some, such as Kriisa and Edwards, would be immediately eligible since they are not multiple-time transfers.

The school says it will start a national search for a new coach. Expect former Huggins assistant and current UAB coach Andy Kennedy to be on that list, along with former West Virginia assistant and current Youngstown State coach Jerrod Calhoun. Failing that, West Virginia could turn to one of the current assistants, such as Ron Everhart. (Whether all the assistants retain jobs is another matter).

Huggins’ fall exemplifies the deep complexity of human nature. On one hand, he positively impacted athletes and coaches for decades. But on the other, his actions over the past six weeks were more than just minor slip-ups that could be swept under the rug.

We see this contrast play out every day — good and selfless deeds flow out of broken and flawed individuals. Huggins is no different. Rob Dauster shared his thoughts on this and more below; it’s worth the seven-minute watch.

2. Another Big Blue Nightmare?

There’s a chance you feel a sense of déjà vu every time you read bad news about Kentucky. The Big Blue horror story added another chapter when a report broke that the Cats could be without 5-star freshman Aaron Bradshaw to start the season.

Per Jack Pilgrim of KSR, Bradshaw suffered the injury a few weeks ago, but the staff “initially viewed it as a sprain.”

Although an offseason injury isn’t the end of the world, it’s nevertheless another tough blow for John Calipari. Kentucky is particularly thin in the frontcourt (sophomore Ugonna Onyenso is the lone true big man on the roster), and Bradshaw would’ve played huge minutes and started from Day 1. Factor in the “Klutch factor,” and Kentucky fans’ angst ratchets up another level.

Still, all hope isn’t lost. While I wouldn’t recommend reading too much into an athlete’s social media, Bradshaw seems to think he’ll heal ahead of the reported timeframe.

With a 7-foot frame, eye-popping athleticism and a burgeoning face-up game, the rookie is the ceiling-raising talent that can help alter a season. Maybe, just maybe, he’ll be on the floor for the season opener.

On the brightside, at least Kentucky is up to nine scholarship players.

3. DiscomBobulating circumstances

One week ago, Wake Forest freshman Bobi Klintman withdrew from the draft and disclosed his plans to “pursue alternative routes to the NBA.”

This decision seemed odd — even in a sport that has drastically changed over the past three years. Why do so now, 12 days after the deadline to withdraw and return to college? Even if he hadn’t been happy at Wake Forest, there was the transfer portal. Klintman would've found no shortage of suitors, considering he’s 6-10 with a beautiful 3-point shot and ball-handling abilities.

Those same skills seemingly secured him a first-round promise — at least that was the heavy speculation, following his decision to pull out of the combine. Mock drafts from The Ringer and The Athletic, among others, gave credence to this notion.

So what led to Klintman’s change of heart?

On Friday, Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes shared his perspective on the story. And let’s just say, he’s not too keen on Klintman’s agent, Michael Tellem.

“[Dealing with Klitman’s agent] was by far and away the worst experience I have ever had attempting to work with one of my players’ agents,” Forbes told reporters via Zoom press conference. “He was deceitful, he was conniving, and he was underhanded.”

The full presser is available above. Forbes outlined Klintman’s draft saga, which spanned from mid-April to mid-May. The coach alleged that Tellem used a “disingenuous facade” to “control Bobi’s draft decision and shop him to other college coaches to negotiate an NIL package.”

Pre Forbes, the agent also urged Klintman to leave Wake Forest in April to train full-time in Los Angeles. Forbes voiced numerous concerns, but ultimately, he worked alongside Jane Caldwell, the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Services, and Klintman’s professors to help him finish the school year.

During Klintman’s time in LA, it became clear to Forbes that the agency didn’t want him to return to Wake Forest — a desire, the head coach believes, that runs counter to the player’s preference, should he not receive a first-round promise.

It’s an unfortunate situation, but one that isn’t unique to Wake Forest. In the NIL and portal era, we’ll likely see more conflicts between coaches, agents and players. I just hope Klintman realizes his professional dreams soon enough.

Efforts to reach Tellem were unsuccessful.

A Lively prospect

Duke freshman Dereck Lively II doesn’t have much to his offensive game. Yet he’s still viewed as a potential NBA Draft lottery prospect because of his length, athleticism and ability as a rim runner. Jeff Goodman and Randolph Childress discuss his ultimate upside.

Subscribe to The Field of 68 on YouTube here and subscribe here to AFTER DARK

Links to click as you peruse “historic battles” on Twitter.

• Conference realignment never stops. The latest? San Diego State hopes to parlay its runner-up achievement into a bigger conference.

• USA Basketball announced its U19 team for the FIBA World Cup. Some notable names: Villanova’s Mark Armstrong, Tennessee’s Tobe Awaka, Arizona’s Kylan Boswell, plus a handful of incoming freshmen like Myles Colvin (Purdue) and Omaha Biliew (Iowa State).

• Illinois and FAU will play in the Jimmy V Classic in Madison Square Garden.

• Hungry for some Incarnate Word news? New coach Shane Heirman brought Shawn Ward onto his staff, a respected name in the grassroots scene.

Thanks for reading The Field of 68 Daily! If you have a news tip or feedback, email us at [email protected].