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West Virginia Basketball: Pros and cons of reported head coaching candidates

By Tristan Freeman

Mar 28, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; UAB Blazers head coach Andy Kennedy looks on in the second half against the Utah Valley Wolverines at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; UAB Blazers head coach Andy Kennedy looks on in the second half against the Utah Valley Wolverines at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports /
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Charleston Cougars head coach Pat Kelsey Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Charleston Cougars head coach Pat Kelsey Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

Biggest “splash” candidates available – Pat Kelsey and Dusty May

If AD Baker wants to get away from the Huggins coaching tree for PR reasons, he’s gonna need to land a fish big enough to silence any detractor. And while those from the power conference ranks are likely out of the mix, there are two rising stars that could be willing to take the leap. One is Kelsey, who is from the region (Cincinnati native), who has turned College of Charleston into a power in the Colonial Athletic Association.

After winning a program-record 31 games and making the NCAA Tournament for the second time in 24 seasons, Kelsey has the Cougars into one of the top mid-major programs in the country. And there are few more personal coaches in the game than the mayor of “Our City”. He has a good roster once again that’s capable of repeating in the CAA but the Mountaineer job would arguably be too good to pass up.

The much tougher coach to pry away is May, coming off his own program-record 35-win season at Florida Atlantic and its first-ever Final Four appearance. The Owls are in Conference USA now but it still doesn’t compare to West Virginia Basketball when it comes to overall resources and being able to compete long-term.

Had the Owls been set to take a step back this offseason, a good case can be made that May should move on. However, FAU may have a better roster than the Mountaineers since they return everyone for another year. And besides, May is an Indiana alum and if that job were to ever open up, he’d be the top option. So a case can be made that for long-term reasons, May and WVU wouldn’t be a good mutual match.

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