Aaron Huffman brings more than a decade of highly-successful basketball coaching experience back to the West Liberty men’s basketball staff for the 2011-12 season. A 3-time PAC Coach of the Year as head men’s basketball coach at neighboring Bethany College from 2002-08, Huffman posted a sparkling 112-53 (.679) record with the Bison and led the NCAA Division III squad to three PAC regular-season titles, three PAC tournament championships, three NCAA Division III tournament bids and an ECAC tournament invitation.
Among the highlights of Huffman’s tenure at Bethany were: a PAC-record 29-game conference win streak; the top two winning seasons in school history; 24 wins in 2004-05 and 23 wins in 2005-06; an 18-game win streak in 2005-06; an 11-1 record in overtime games; four PAC Players of the Year; 18 All-PAC honorees; two NCAA Division III Academic All-Americans – including current West Liberty women’s basketball assistant Mike Drahos – and six NCAA Division III Academic All-District selections.
Huffman is no stranger to the West Liberty sidelines. He served as a women’s basketball assistant under WLU Hall of Famer Lynn Ullom from 1999-01, helping the Lady Hilltoppers claim back-to-back WVIAC regular season and tournament titles. He spent the 2001-02 season as a men’s basketball assistant and recruiting coordinator with Hilltopper head coach Dan Petri before accepting the Bethany job in 2002. He rejoined Ullom with the WLU women’s team for the 2008-09 season and helped the West Liberty women to three 20-win seasons and a pair of NCAA Division II tournament bids. With the men’s team, Huffman will focus his attention on individual skill development, game preparation, recruiting and academic counseling.
An instructor of Physical Education and Health in the WLU Department of Health and Human Performance, Huffman is a graduate of Waynesburg (Pa.) Central High School. He graduated cum laude from West Virginia University in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education with a Mathematics minor and earned his master’s in Athletic Coaching Education from WVU in 2000. He is currently completing coursework on a doctoral degree in Higher Education Leadership.
In addition to his coaching accomplishments, Huffman also has extensive administrative experience at the collegiate level. He served as NCAA Compliance Coordinator and Athletic Facilities Building Supervisor while coaching at West Liberty from 2000-02. Huffman was also NCAA Compliance Coordinator at Bethany from 2002-04 and assumed that role again during the 2007-08 academic year. In addition, he served as Bethany’s Summer Athletic Facilities Supervisor from 2003-08. Huffman is also licensed as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Coach Huffman resides in West Liberty with his wife, Courtney, and their three children, Jacob, Jillian and Joshua.
