The official press release came from WVU at 3:42 p.m. on Monday.
Charleston native James Long had known the news before that.
Yet on Wednesday afternoon the former Mountaineer basketball walk-on's heart was still racing over the announcement he's joined coach Bob Huggins' staff as an assistant director of basketball operations.
"I still haven't wrapped my mind around it," Long said. "I'm blown away."
It's quite a story. For a while, Long was the very definition of basketball journeyman. At one point he averaged 0.1 points in a season at Wofford College of the Southern Conference. At another point he was a fan favorite at WVU. And now, at this point, he's on the Mountaineer staff.
"I grew up all my life in Charleston," Long said. "I was a Mountaineer fan and went to the games when I was a kid. I went to [George Washington High] for a year. My brother [Chris] went to Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia after his last year at GW. So that kind of opened my mind to a different route."
That route was Woodberry Forest School in Virginia.
"I'm really happy I went because I learned a lot being away from home," Long said. "I grew up a lot - fast."
Then came Wofford College, located in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
"I tried to play there and prove myself, but something in me switched and I really just wanted to focus on what was coming after college, what would be better for me," Long said. "I realized I wanted to get into coaching so I decided to walk on at West Virginia. Thankfully Huggs let me walk on here, my dream school. He was always my favorite coach.
"So I ended up playing [in Morgantown] and it was the best experience of my life. I still can't believe I got to play and live out my dream. And now that Huggs is letting me come back and be on the staff is completely mind blowing."
Long was jokingly asked if he hadn't had enough of Huggins the last few years.
"Nah," he laughed. "You can never have enough. He's one of the best coaches to ever coach the game of basketball. I'm just happy to keep learning from him. I've learned so much from being around him. It's going to be different now being on this side of things, but I'm just so happy I can keep learning."
Long certainly knows of what he speaks. His father Scott, a Charleston attorney, is very good friends with Huggins. One could even say there's a family feel to the friendship.
"I absolutely look at Huggs as family," James Long said. "I mean I can't even begin to start on how much he's done for me. I have the utmost respect for Huggs as a coach, as a person. He does so much for so many people. But for me, specifically, he's done so much.
"I care about him so much. I'm so thankful I got to come here and be around him and get to know him and for him to get to know me. I'm so happy to be able to come back and learn from him as a coach and as a person. I can't express enough how good of a person he is."
Long was asked about his best Mountaineer playing experiences.
"Senior Night was really cool," he said. "It was an awesome experience. But I think my favorite moment was when we beat [then-No. 1] Baylor at home. I'd never been in the Coliseum with an environment like that.
"We beat them and Nate [Adrian] and I jumped up on the scorer's table. All the fans were on the [court] floor. It was just how everything felt that night, beating the No. 1 team in the country at home. It's indescribable. It's my favorite moment as a Mountaineer. That whole night, that game, was awesome."
Now, though, it's time for Long to get to work.
"I'll be doing a lot of the video stuff," he explained. "There's a lot that goes into that. It can be very time-consuming. Thankfully I get to learn from one of the best in the business in Josh Eilert. He got a promotion [to director of basketball operations], but he's going to still be helping me. He's been unreal, man. From the get-go he said he'd be there to help me."
Long laughed.
"I've been asking him so many questions," he said. "He's always open to them though and is trying to help. Even if he's in the middle of something he'll stop. His knowledge of the game and all the video stuff is out of this world. He's a phenomenal person as well."
Oh, and if you read the story announcing Long's appointment, yes, he's still pursuing a master's degree in sport management.
"It's something I fully expect to finish," he said. "It's something I'll take pride in finishing."
And Charleston, undoubtedly, will take pride watching Long on this new journey.
Contact Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827 or mitchvingle@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @MitchVingle.