WVU Basketball: Assistant coach Billy Hahn retires

The WVU basketball program will be without the services of long-time assistant coach Billy Hahn moving forward, as he’s announced his retirement. 

Billy Hahn made a number of coaching stops over the course of his 43-year career, but he wasn’t always on the sidelines.

After high school, the Mishawaka, Indiana-native attended Maryland and played basketball from 1971-1974.

During his freshman campaign, Maryland won the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Hahn was named a captain his senior year and the Terrapins finished 24-5, one of the best records in school history.

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Forty-three years is a long time to coach, though.

When Hahn took his first assistant position at Morris Harvey (now the University of Charleston), Dolly Parton debuted her hit song, “I Will Always Love You.” Now personally, I’m a fan of Whitney Houston’s rendition, but that’s neither here nor there.

Only spending one year in Charleston, Hahn made a few other brief stops (Davidson, Rhode Island) before landing comfortably at Ohio University.

From 1979 through the 1986 season, Hahn was an assistant for the Bobcats. Following the ’86 campaign he was dubbed top dog – head coach.

During those ten total years at Ohio, Hahn’s teams were always competitive in the MAC, winning the conference title in ’83 and ’85 before returning to his alma mater in 1989.

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As an assistant at Maryland, Hahn coached under Gary Williams as the program flourished. The Terps set a school record and reached eight consecutive NCAA Tournaments; they reached the Final Four in 2001.

After leaving to be the head coach at La Salle, the Terrapins wound up winning the National Championship in 2002.

Hahn’s time in Morgantown came after his brief, post-La Salle hiatus. Assisting Bob Huggins, the Mountaineers made the Sweet 16 while posting a 22-9 record.

Mitch Vingle from the Charleston Gazette-Mail first broke the news of Billy Hahn’s retirement.