West Liberty University Athletics

Assistant coach Dr. Aaron Huffman brings his impressive coaching resume to the West Liberty men’s basketball staff for the 15^th consecutive season.  Since joining the West Liberty men’s coaching staff in 2011, Coach Huffman has been a steady presence on the country’s most dominant NCAA Division II men’s basketball program.  Working alongside former head coaches Ben Howlett and Jim Crutchfield, Huffman has helped guide the Hilltoppers to the NCAA Division II national tournament in every season that Huffman has been on the staff.  Even more impressive, the Hilltoppers have won conference championships in 13 of Huffman’s 14 seasons on the staff, in addition to 6 conference tournament championships.  At the national level, Huffman has been on the staff for many deep tournament runs in the NCAA Division II national tournament, including 9 NCAA Sweet Sixteens, 7 NCAA Elite Eights, 4 NCAA Final Fours, and 2 NCAA national championship game appearances. 

During Huffman’s 14 seasons on the WLU men’s bench, the Hilltoppers have posted an incredible win-loss record of 401-58 (.874) — tops among all NCAA men’s basketball programs, regardless of division.  In 2020, Huffman was named to the top “50 Impactful Division II Assistants” by Silver Waves Media.

Huffman began his college basketball coaching career in 1999 as a women’s assistant under legendary Hilltopper Hall of Famer Lynn Ullom, helping the WLU women reel off back-to-back WVIAC conference regular-season and tournament titles in 1999-00 and in 2000-01.  In the 2001-02 season, Huffman served an assistant men’s coach and the recruiting coordinator for West Liberty men’s coach Dan Petri.

From 2002-2008, Huffman enjoyed an incredibly successful run as the head men’s basketball coach at nearby Bethany College (NCAA Division III) where he was honored as the PAC “Coach of the Year” three times – posting a sparkling record of 112-53 (.679), including 3 PAC regular-season titles, 3 PAC tournament championships, and a trio of NCAA Division III national tournament bids.  Under his leadership, Huffman’s Bethany Bison also set a PAC conference record with 29 consecutive conference wins.

Coach Huffman returned to West Liberty in 2008-09 and rejoined Ullom's women's basketball staff for three seasons, helping the lady Hilltoppers to three 20-win seasons and two NCAA tournament bids before joining Coach Crutchfield’s men’s basketball staff in 2011.

Overall, in his 26 years of coaching college basketball, Huffman has accumulated a vast resume of dominance and winning.  As either a men’s or women’s head or assistant coach, Coach Huffman has been part of an unheard of 18 conference championships and 11 conference tournament championships.  He has been to the NCAA national tournament 21 times, including 9 NCAA Sweet Sixteens, 7 NCAA Elite Eights, 4 NCAA Final Fours, and 2 NCAA national championship game appearances.

In addition to his coaching duties, Huffman has served in various administrative and academic roles.  A Professor of Education in the WLU College of Education and Human Performance, Huffman served as West Liberty’s Athletic Director in 2015-2016 and was WLU’s NCAA Compliance Coordinator and Athletic Facilities Building Supervisor from 2000-2002.  He had two separate stints as NCAA Compliance Coordinator at Bethany College from 2002-2004 and was Bethany’s Summer Athletic Facilities Supervisor from 2003-2008.

Huffman is nationally licensed as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).  A graduate of Waynesburg (Pa.) Central High School, Huffman earned his bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University (WVU) in Secondary Education with a minor in Mathematics in 1997.  He earned his master’s degree in Athletic Coaching Education from WVU in 2000 and went on to earn his doctorate degree in Higher Education Administration from WVU in 2013, minoring in Higher Education Technology and Physical Education Teacher Education. 

Huffman resides in West Liberty with his wife, Courtney, a long-time WLU Professor of Dental Hygiene, and their three children—Jacob (a WLU men’s track team member), Jillian (a WLU women’s basketball & track team member), and Josh (a senior at Wheeling Park High School).