The Huggins - B.B. Flennory Confrontation...
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My recollection is.......FYI, I was sitting about halfway up the East Lower Concourse, and therefore could not know what kind of verbal **** was being stirred among the players on EITHER side......and please understand that I barely remember what I had for breakfast this morning
-Huggs (playing the #1) has the ball in the front court, about 25' from the hoop straight away
-Flenory, who's been treated like a wanted fugitive by the home crowd since warm-ups, is absolutely inside Huggs' jock defensively. Stripes are letting it all go.
-Something apparently sets Huggs off, because he just pivots and plants his off-elbow into the side of Flenory's head.....who drops to the floor like Oswald had returned to life that night at the Coliseum.
-Benches empty and the riot ensues. Flenory's Dad runs out onto the floor looking to take on anyone or anything in blue and gold. I never DID determine whatever became of him in the aftermath, though I'm sure SOMEBODY tackled him.
-For some unknown reason during the melee......perhaps because it's not something one expects to see at your typical D1 basketball game......my eyes happen coincidentally to lock onto a can of Miller High Life (I distinctly recall the can' s gold and white color) flying out of the south Upper Concourse and exploding on the floor. I recall thinking that whoever let it loose had a pretty impressive arm.
As I said, I never did have any real perspective of the up-close-and-personal circumstances which led to the incident. But I do recall it resulting in a number of years of bad blood between two (at the time) comparable programs. Huggs became a villain in Pittsburgh, which never really mattered since he was a senior.
I also seem to recall that neither WVU HC Joedy Gardner.....nor Dukes HC Mike Rice.....did all THAT much to try and defuse things even in the post game aftermath.
-Huggs (playing the #1) has the ball in the front court, about 25' from the hoop straight away
-Flenory, who's been treated like a wanted fugitive by the home crowd since warm-ups, is absolutely inside Huggs' jock defensively. Stripes are letting it all go.
-Something apparently sets Huggs off, because he just pivots and plants his off-elbow into the side of Flenory's head.....who drops to the floor like Oswald had returned to life that night at the Coliseum.
-Benches empty and the riot ensues. Flenory's Dad runs out onto the floor looking to take on anyone or anything in blue and gold. I never DID determine whatever became of him in the aftermath, though I'm sure SOMEBODY tackled him.
-For some unknown reason during the melee......perhaps because it's not something one expects to see at your typical D1 basketball game......my eyes happen coincidentally to lock onto a can of Miller High Life (I distinctly recall the can' s gold and white color) flying out of the south Upper Concourse and exploding on the floor. I recall thinking that whoever let it loose had a pretty impressive arm.
As I said, I never did have any real perspective of the up-close-and-personal circumstances which led to the incident. But I do recall it resulting in a number of years of bad blood between two (at the time) comparable programs. Huggs became a villain in Pittsburgh, which never really mattered since he was a senior.
I also seem to recall that neither WVU HC Joedy Gardner.....nor Dukes HC Mike Rice.....did all THAT much to try and defuse things even in the post game aftermath.
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There were a few ugly incidents. The Dukes' B.B. Flenory nearly was killed after taking an elbow to the head from West Virginia's Bob Huggins. Two years later, Flenory was involved in a brawl against the Mountaineers at the Civic Arena, then refused to play at West Virginia after seeing a picture of himself hung in effigy in the West Virginia student newspaper. But mostly, there was just spectacular competition.
I was at the Civic Arena for that game. I think WV center Phil Collins was involved and clocked Flennory.
I think it was that same senior season that Huggs got into foul trouble with Pitt at the Coliseum. There was a hot shot Pitt guard that shot his mouth off the week of the game and came into Morgantown with a huge chip on his shoulder.
Gardner had to hold Huggs out some of the second half with 4 fouls and the Pitt guard ran roughshod over the Mountaineers. Gardner puts Huggins back in the game and he puts a huge block on the kid as he is going in for a layup, almost knocked him into the wall. Pitt guard comes up swinging and a small brawl ensues; of course he gets ejected and Huggs fouls out. WVU goes on to win the game.
What the hell was that guards name?
Gardner had to hold Huggs out some of the second half with 4 fouls and the Pitt guard ran roughshod over the Mountaineers. Gardner puts Huggins back in the game and he puts a huge block on the kid as he is going in for a layup, almost knocked him into the wall. Pitt guard comes up swinging and a small brawl ensues; of course he gets ejected and Huggs fouls out. WVU goes on to win the game.
What the hell was that guards name?
Absolutely no clue......but if I were to make a wild *** guess, I'd initially say Kirk Bruce.
Funny angle on all that....
https://www.timeswv.com/sports/hert...cle_d0a1bcaf-8b7d-5722-9d25-a17c26da9d6a.html
https://www.timeswv.com/sports/hert...cle_d0a1bcaf-8b7d-5722-9d25-a17c26da9d6a.html