It has been a long journey back to Bowling Green for former Falcon Michael Huger, who was introduced as the new head men’s basketball coach Friday afternoon.
It began in 1989 when he started his collegiate playing career; it continued when he got his degree in the summer of 1994. Now, 22 years after his last game at Anderson Arena, everything has come full circle.
His dream has come true.
“I’m thrilled and honored to be named the 17th head men’s head basketball coach at my alma mater,” Huger said. “This is a dream come true for me.”
Being in this position is something Huger has envisioned in the past, so when he got the call that the University wanted to interview him, he was excited.
Athletic Director Chris Kingston and Senior Associate Athletic Director Kit Hughes sat down with Huger for about two hours during the Final Four in Indianapolis.
He was the first person they spoke with, and they were impressed with Huger. Impressed so much that it is fair to say they found it hard not to compare him to the other candidates, Kingston said.
“That’s something I battled with, because I’ve done a lot of searches and you don’t want to do that. There were so many quality, prepared men and at the end of the day that’s what I was combating I think, to be truthful,” Kingston said. “That’s how good he is.”
As an assistant coach Huger has been to three NCAA Tournaments, one with the University of Miami and two with George Mason University, but that is something he failed to do as a player at the University.
That is not something he plans to fail at as a coach at the University.
“Our goal now is to win a MAC Championship. We want to be the first team to get back to the NCAA Tournament since 1968; that’s a long time,” Huger said. “It means more to me to win at Bowling Green than just a coach. This is bigger than just coaching this is what we’ve built. We want to build on that and continue to grow, so it means the world to me. More so than just any other coach.”
On Friday morning he met the players that he would be working to achieve that goal with. Although they didn’t talk much about his game plan or his vision, the players were excited, said junior Spencer Parker.
“It was a great reaction, hearing that he was someone that came from Bowling Green,” Parker said. “He is an alumni, he has been through this process. He is somebody we can all look up to.”
Now that the introductory process is over, Huger can focus on what is next for him and the program. That next step is recruiting and making sure that the recruits who have already committed to play at BG stay at BG.
“Now is the opportunity to make sure everything is okay,” Huger said. “I spoke with [the signed recruits] and everything seems fine. I still want to introduce myself and go over and see them.”
The Falcons still have one scholarship left to use, and they will use that to find the best player available. Whether that is a high school recruit or some sort of transfer will remain to be seen.
“You can’t say ‘I’m going to get a transfer and we don’t get a transfer.’ Can’t say ‘I’m going to get a freshman and then get a junior college kid.’” Huger said. “So just the best available fit for us and our program.”
