The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Sports

July 1, 2009

One of Huggins' own in Beckley

By Dave Morrison

Rodney Crawford, hired Wednesday as the new basketball coach at Mountain State Academy, remembers it like it was yesterday, though it’s now going on a decade ago.

Likely, he’ll never forget it.

He was playing for Cincinnati, under legendary Bearcats — and now West Virginia — coach Bob Huggins.

“Well, one day we came in to practice a little lethargic,” Crawford remembered. “Keep in mind, practices in those days were three hours long. So we’re going through this practice and we’re not into it. We’re lethargic.

“Coach stopped the practice right there, 10 minutes in. And we ran for the next two hours and 50 minutes. And we didn’t stop. We ran and kept on running.”

And the coach?

“Oh, he kicked back and watched,” Crawford said, laughing.

A lot of players would have been more than a little ticked.

“Shoot, we were too tired to be (mad),” Crawford said. “I mean, guys were so tired, they couldn’t talk.”

Noteworthy things you can do in 2:50?

Run a half-marathon at a less than average pace.

Play a basketball game-and-a-half.

Fly from Chicago to Kansas City.

Get the point from your head coach about coming to practice not prepared to work.

“Oh, we got the point, and that was the last time we were lethargic in practice,” Crawford said.

Once again, Huggins’ genius was at work. Cincinnati finished the season No. 3 in the nation.

These days, Crawford still refers to Huggs as “coach” but he is more glad to call him friend.

It was Huggs who told him about the MSA job.

Crawford said he does have several Huggins stories.

“Some of them you’d have to edit. You probably couldn’t put in an adult magazine, much less a newspaper,” Crawford said, his laughter making it obvious that he got his own joke.

“Here’s the thing about coach Huggins. He really cares about his players. It’s not just about basketball. People say they care, but he really does. He follows his guys when they’re gone. He still cares. And I am living proof of that ... literally.”

He said one metaphor has resonated with him since his Cincinnati days.

“There’s a small box that your average people dwell in and you have to push yourself to get out of that box,” Crawford said. “And the way you do that is with hard work. With coach Huggins, I worked harder than I thought that I could work. But that’s the way you have to do it. And it paid off in the end. I am where I am today because of coach Huggins.”

And again, that’s literally.

During Crawford’s Cincinnati career, the Bearcats were 56-14 and went to the Sweet 16.

“All those times, they were all special,” Crawford said. “Growing up in Cincinnati, it was my dream to play for coach Huggins at Cincinnati (he went to a JUCO in Bakersfield, Calif.) and I was able to do that. To earn a scholarship made it even better.”

The real question is, does he do a Huggins impression?

As a matter of fact, he does.

But you have to see that to appreciate it.

— E-mail: demorrison@

register-herald.com





Text Only
Sports
  • Woodrow holds off Huntington

     It took Woodrow Wilson’s boys basketball team nearly three quarters to figure out that the backside lob was open in Huntington High’s zone.

    January 10, 2012

  • MSU hosts Rio Grande

    For the first time since 1995, Mountain State stands a little past the half-way point at the season with five losses.

    January 10, 2012

  • OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE - WVU to join Big 12 Conference

    The Big 12 Conference Board of Directors have voted unanimously to accept West Virginia University as a full conference member effective July 1, 2012.  The Mountaineers will begin competing in the Big 12 beginning with the 2012-13 athletic season.

    October 28, 2011

  • Friday update: Big East notified WVU leaving for Big 12

    The Big East says it has been notified that West Virginia is leaving the conference and joining the Big 12.

    October 28, 2011

  • Cardinals force Game 7 in World Series

    After one of the greatest games in baseball history, a 10-9, 11-inning victory over Texas in Game 6 in which the Cardinals were twice within one strike of elimination.

    October 28, 2011

  • Schiano sings WVU’s praises

    It hasn’t been the year that Rutgers coach Greg Schiano envisioned.
    Not close.

    December 1, 2010

  • BNI will usher in mat season

    This time around, the Beckley Newspapers Invitational will have a decidedly more local flavor.

    December 1, 2010

  • Huggs likes looks of young Noreen

    Perhaps it was the season. Whatever it was, West Virginia coach Bob Huggins went straight to the pie.
    Well, the figurative pie.
    Huggins had just watched his team beat Virginia Military Institute 82-66 in front of 12,367 fans at the Charleston Civic Center Saturday.

    December 1, 2010

  • Oak Hill places 3 on AA

    Whether it was opposing defenses or illness, nothing stopped Charleston Catholic’s Tom Trupo for long.

    December 1, 2010

  • Spartans open with victory

    Turnovers produce points and the Greenbrier East girls basketball team collected plenty of each en route to an 81-43 season-opening victory against Bluefield on Tuesday night.

    December 1, 2010