BROOKLYN, N.Y. — At 7:10 p.m. Friday, when WVU and Stephen F. Austin meet in the NCAA Tournament, there will be much intensity between the respective coaches, Bob Huggins and Brad Underwood.
It hasn't always been like that though.
Like in 2006. Like Thursday.
“I just photobombed one of [Huggins'] interviews over here,” Underwood said Thursday. “I just jumped in because I knew he'd do it to me.”
Probably. You see, Huggins played a practical joke on Underwood in 2006 that will live for a long time.
First, understand the role each coach has had in each other's lives. Huggins hired Underwood as his director of basketball operations at Kansas State. It was Underwood's first job at the Division I level.
“I've known Brad for a long, long time,” Huggins said. “I've known him since recruiting when he was at Dodge City [Community College in 1988]. “I hired him when I went to Kansas State for a couple reasons. One, I thought he was really, really good. And, two, he's a K-State guy.
“We wouldn't have been able to turn the program the way we turned it, or turned it as fast as we turned it, without Brad. Brad knew everybody and, obviously, [then-assistant coach] Frank [Martin] and I and [assistant] Dalonte [Hill] didn't know anybody.”
That worked in Huggins' favor. Also, the boost to full-time Power 5 status worked in Underwood's favor.
He'd been at Dodge CC. He'd been at Daytona Beach Community College. Then, post-Huggins, he jumped to Martin and was an assistant and then associate head coach at Kansas State and South Carolina.
Now, he's at SFA, coaching to land a Power 5 job, responsible for 75 percent of the Lumberjacks' tournament appearances. He's 88-13 in three seasons at the school.
OK, but back to the practice joke.
“Brad was our 'ops' guy and couldn't coach on the floor,” Huggins said. “Well, he used to ride the stationary bike on the side during practice. We always had peanuts and Chex Mix and that kind of stuff on a table.
“One day the managers decided to keep up with it on the scoreboard: how many times Brad stuck his hand in the jar — and which jar.”
Huggins laughed at the memory.
“I forget what the final count was, but it was astronomical, how many times he stuck his hand in the jar,” he said. “We're all standing there laughing and he had no idea what we were laughing at.”
“Hugs had a smorgasbord there,” Underwood said. “I'd ride the stairmaster. Finally, I looked up and said, 'What's on the scoreboard?' Hugs was dying laughing. I remember it was 17 to 14. I was working out — and gaining weight.”
During press day, however, Underwood had a hard time busting on Huggins. I asked for his best Hugs story.
“Wow,” he said. “Wow. I can get in a lot of trouble with this … there are so many. But there's one thing about Hugs people don't realize because they see the intensity, the passion. He's a guy that's probably as easy to work for as anybody out there and, literally, laughter is a part of his everyday life.
“I'm going to say this on a serious note. He has a magnetic personality. When he left Kansas State to go to West Virginia, he impacted so many people's lives — and one was my wife's. I looked over and she's crying when he's getting on the plane to head out. There are very few people who can do that.”
Underwood went on and on about his former boss. He spoke of the gobs of time Huggins spends recruiting. He called Huggins “the single best communicator with people and players” he's ever seen.
“It's the reason he's been successful and is a Hall of Fame coach,” Underwood said. “His players love him to death. It was a great learning experience for me.”
Today, we'll see how good. Stephen F. Austin is 27-5 and has won 20 in a row. If you don't think the Lumberjacks have confidence, well, just axe 'em. They do.
SFA is the better shooting team (48.4-45.2). Yet, as of Thursday evening, WVU was a 7-point favorite.
That's because Stephen F. Austin played against lesser competition. As in much lesser. The Southland Conference was ranked by computer analyst Jeff Sagarin as the 32nd-best league. There are only 34 conferences. The Big 12 was No. 1. (A Sagarin “predictor” actually suggests WVU should be a 10-point favorite.) That said, SFA beat its league opponents by an average of 23.2 points.
Expect the Lumberjacks to keep the game within a 10-point spread. Guard/forward Thomas Walkup has the WVU coaches' attention. He was the Southland's player of the year. He's had three games of NCAA tournament experience in which he averaged 15.3 points per game. In 2014, he helped the Lumberjacks down VCU 77-75.
But when Verne Lundquist, Jim Spanarkel and Allie LaForce finish calling the game for CBS, expect the Mountaineers to fell the Lumberjacks. Yes, there have already been huge upsets. Heck, of 20 prior upsets of a 14-seed over a 3-seed, two were from the Big 12 last year (Georgia State over Baylor and UAB over Iowa State).
But now the photobombing ends.
The ribbing ceases.
WVU, Huggins assures, will take SFA seriously.
And that, my friends, is no joke.