As Wren Baker and West Virginia embark on their search to find the next head coach of West Virginia men’s basketball, there is one thing Baker demands the next coach embrace — the state of West Virginia.
One of the things that is attractive about WVU and its relationship to its people is that there are no professional sports teams in the state. This means, the Mountaineers are the identity of the state, and they want to represent the people of West Virginia in a correct manner.
With this knowledge, Baker understands that the next head coach will be the face of WVU basketball, and therefore a face for the state. Despite this though, Baker said the next head coach does not need to have a prior West Virginia connection, but wants them to be able to embrace the role they will play in representing the state.
“You have to have somebody that not only understands West Virginia, but can embrace being a face of not just WVU, but the state. You don’t get to come to WVU and just be a basketball coach, or a football coach, or an [athletic director], you’re an ambassador for the state. And if you can’t embrace that, then this is probably not a job for you,” Baker said.
Obviously, the most notable West Virginia connection was with Bob Huggins and Gale Catlett, who both played at WVU and then came back to coach the Mountaineers.
Currently, Joe Mazzulla, the head coach of the Boston Celtics is a former player in the coaching ranks, while WVU had three former players as assistant coaches this past season.
WVU officially began their coaching search on Wednesday, while Baker hopes to have it finished around the time the Final Four concludes in just under a month.
