MORGANTOWN — Wren Baker is a man in dire need of a vacation, the result of a career’s worth of turmoil in the WVU athletic department all wrapped up in his first six months on the job as WVU’s athletic director.
Baker just smiles at the thought before getting right down to the essence of his own expectations.
“Listen, if you’re going to cash those checks, you can’t lament the job,” Baker said. “That’s just what comes with it.”
What’s been placed at Baker’s feet since last Dec., when he signed a six-year deal, is two national coaching searches, evaluating a struggling football program, dealing with issues that come with the university’s reported $45 million deficit and declining enrollment and a Big 12 Conference in the midst of major change.
Other than that, it’s been just peachy.
“I’ve not regretted coming here one day. I love it here,” Baker said. “The job is the job. We’ve had a lot of turmoil these first few months, but I also understand that it’s not because anything is wrong with WVU. This is a great job with great fan passion. We have resources. We have a great institution. I’m very thankful to have the job and to be here.”
His honeymoon period ended in March, when Dawn Plitzuweit left the school to become the head coach of the Minnesota women’s basketball team.
That was coaching search No. 1, in which Baker brought in Mark Kellogg in early April.
Coaching search No. 2 was more high profile and much more chaotic, after longtime men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins resigned on June 17 following a DUI arrest in Pittsburgh.
Six weeks before that, Huggins put the athletic department in a pickle after using homophobic slurs during an interview with a Cincinnati radio station.
That brought a three-game suspension and a $1 million pay cut handed down by the university, but by no measure did that decision come without a public relations hit to the school’s reputation.
“Every college athletic program has times when there’s turmoil,” Baker said. “I think those of us inside the industry don’t weigh that as much as the general fan would. Most of us inside the industry, we try not to get too high or too low with that, because you know there’s going to be periods of time.
“What’s happened the last couple of months has certainly been a time of turmoil, particularly for the men’s basketball program. It’s still a special program, and I think it’s time for our fans to rally around and help this team have as much success as it can.”
Huggins’ arrest led to a week’s long search that truly tested Baker’s worth, in that he went down two separate roads in looking at potential full-time replacements, as well as interim candidates.
In the end, assistant coach Josh Eilert was promoted as the interim, with his deal running through April 30, 2024, in which Baker will be off again on another search for a full-time candidate.
“We’ve got to know each other through this process,” Eilert said. “I have full faith in Wren, in terms of his leadership. He’s a very bright individual and he keeps his head on straight.
“It’s nice to work with an individual that you feel a comfort level that the program is going in the right direction.”
Baker, an Oklahoman by birth who came to WVU via North Texas, is a time zone away from most of his family and friends yet has taken to Morgantown almost immediately since arriving last December.
“The people here have just been tremendous,” Baker said. “I’ve loved it here. Now, am I ready for some smoother waters to sail in? Of course, I’d love to see that. I’m confident we’ll have those, but that’s not been something (that’s hurt). This is a special place and I’m very fortunate to be here.”
Up next on Baker’s docket: Evaluating the WVU football program and head coach Neal Brown, who hasn’t won more than six games in any of his four seasons at the school.
It’s possible Baker could see the need for a change in the football program next year, just months before searching again for a men’s basketball coach.
That’s possibly millions of dollars coming and going in terms of buyouts and new hires at a time when the school plans on cutting graduate programs and jobs on the academic side to correct a reported $45 million deficit.
Not that it fazes Baker, at least that’s what he shows on the surface.
“When you’re leading an athletic program, you can’t lead out of fear,” Baker said. “You kind of have to be aggressive and put it all out there. We wouldn’t let — in this (men’s basketball) search or any other — the finances be a hindrance.
“From a population standpoint, we’re one of the lower-populated states, but we command the attention of everyone in the state. I can’t envision financial constraints being a factor in any of our coaching searches. It’s too important to the state that the program represents the state and the university the right way.”
All of this will come in an environment of a new Big 12, with BYU, UCF, Houston and Cincinnati, which officially joined the league Saturday.
A year from now, Oklahoma and Texas will bolt for the Southeastern Conference.
The addition of BYU, as well as any future additions of other schools out West will only add a further drain to the school’s athletic budget, which spent $6.602 million during the 2022 fiscal year in team travel, according to a WVU financial report.
Tested? Baker has been there and back in his first six months at WVU.
Regrets? Baker says he has none.
“You’re tested in seasons when you’re supposed to be tested,” Baker said. “My family has loved it here. If I had to pick — job or family — which one to have problems with, the job honestly. Times of turmoil give you a chance to see who you are. It gives you a chance to see who the people around you are.”
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