Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Mountaineer Hoops Staffer Billy Hahn Passes Away
April 07, 2023 04:23 PM | Men's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Billy Hahn, a coaching veteran of 40 years, including 11 as a member of Bob Huggins' West Virginia basketball staff, has died, his family confirmed today. He was 69.
Hahn was a member of Huggins' first Mountaineer coaching staff in 2007-08 before transitioning into a role as assistant to the head coach in 2011 and serving in that capacity until his retirement following the 2017 season.
Since then, he remained a popular fixture in Morgantown appearing at Mountaineer practices, local high school basketball games and doing some freelance basketball commentary on podcasts.
"I have known Billy since the early 1970s when I visited Maryland as a recruit, and he was my host for the weekend," coach Bob Huggins said. "From there, I ran into Billy constantly on the recruiting trail over the years before I hired him at WVU in 2007.
"Billy was a players' coach and a very good communicator. He had a great rapport with the players, and they all really enjoyed being around him.
"All of Mountaineer basketball and Mountaineer Nation is saddened by Billy's passing. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Kathi, his son, Matty, his daughter, Ashley, his grandchildren, their families and everyone that knew and loved Billy."
During Hahn's WVU tenure, the Mountaineers won the 2010 Big East Championship and made nine NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2010 Final Four.
He spent the majority of his coaching career at Maryland, where he was an assistant to Gary Williams for 12 seasons from 1989-2001. The Terps, during Hahn's, tenure went to the NCAA Tournament a school-record eight straight years, including the 2001 Final Four. In 2002, the season after Hahn left for a head coaching job at La Salle, Maryland won the national championship with several of Hahn's recruits. For his work, Williams and the Terrapin basketball program presented Hahn with a championship ring.
Hahn began his coaching career in 1975 in West Virginia as an assistant coach to Rich Meckfessel at Morris Harvey College (now the University of Charleston). He then joined Dave Pritchett's staff at Davidson for one year before moving on to serve as an assistant coach at Rhode Island for Jack Kraft from 1977-80. During his time at URI, the Rams went to the NCAA tournament in 1978 and NIT in 1979.
In 1980, Hahn began a six-year stint as an assistant coach at Ohio University under Danny Nee. At Ohio, the Bobcats won the Mid-American Conference championship in 1983 and 1985, advancing to the NCAA tournament in both of those years. The Bobcats also went to the NIT in 1986.
It was during his time in Athens where Hahn developed a close friendship with ESPN commentator Fran Fraschilla.
In 1986, Hahn was named head coach at Ohio University and led the Bobcats for three years until 1989, helping them to the MAC championship game in 1988. At Ohio, he recruited and coached the school's all-time leading scorer in Dave Jamerson, and also recruited and coached Paul Graham, the MAC player of the year in 1989.
Hahn's head coaching tenure at La Salle lasted three years from 2001-04. Prior to WVU, he was director of the Hoop Group, a New Jersey-based recruiting and camp service, and also did some basketball television commentary.
The list of NBA players he was involved with during his coaching career is impressive: Sly Williams, Paul Graham, Dave Jamerson, Tony Massenburg, Jerrod Mustaf, Walt Williams, Keith Booth, Joe Smith, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Laron Profit, Terence Morris, Obinna Ekezie, Steve Francis, Chris Wilcox, Lonny Baxter, Steve Blake, Juan Dixon, Steven Smith, Rasual Butler, Joe Alexander, Da'Sean Butler, Devin Ebanks and Jevon Carter.
Hahn earned his bachelor's degree in distributive education with a minor in business administration from Maryland in 1975. While there, he was a three-year varsity letterwinner under Lefty Driesell on three of the best basketball teams Maryland history.
He was a freshman in 1971-72 when the Terps won the National Invitation Tournament and was a key reserve on the team that lost in what is considered the greatest game in ACC history (Maryland's 103-100 overtime setback against NC State in 1974).
He captained the team during his senior year in 1975. Hahn is one of only two players in Maryland basketball history to play and coach in the NCAA tournament.
A native of Mishawaka, Indiana, where he attended Penn High, Hahn is survived by his wife, Kathi, son, Matthew and his wife Christie, a daughter, Ashley and her husband Brian Calvery, and two grandchildren.
Hahn was a member of Huggins' first Mountaineer coaching staff in 2007-08 before transitioning into a role as assistant to the head coach in 2011 and serving in that capacity until his retirement following the 2017 season.
Since then, he remained a popular fixture in Morgantown appearing at Mountaineer practices, local high school basketball games and doing some freelance basketball commentary on podcasts.
"I have known Billy since the early 1970s when I visited Maryland as a recruit, and he was my host for the weekend," coach Bob Huggins said. "From there, I ran into Billy constantly on the recruiting trail over the years before I hired him at WVU in 2007.
"Billy was a players' coach and a very good communicator. He had a great rapport with the players, and they all really enjoyed being around him.
"All of Mountaineer basketball and Mountaineer Nation is saddened by Billy's passing. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Kathi, his son, Matty, his daughter, Ashley, his grandchildren, their families and everyone that knew and loved Billy."
During Hahn's WVU tenure, the Mountaineers won the 2010 Big East Championship and made nine NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2010 Final Four.
He spent the majority of his coaching career at Maryland, where he was an assistant to Gary Williams for 12 seasons from 1989-2001. The Terps, during Hahn's, tenure went to the NCAA Tournament a school-record eight straight years, including the 2001 Final Four. In 2002, the season after Hahn left for a head coaching job at La Salle, Maryland won the national championship with several of Hahn's recruits. For his work, Williams and the Terrapin basketball program presented Hahn with a championship ring.
Hahn began his coaching career in 1975 in West Virginia as an assistant coach to Rich Meckfessel at Morris Harvey College (now the University of Charleston). He then joined Dave Pritchett's staff at Davidson for one year before moving on to serve as an assistant coach at Rhode Island for Jack Kraft from 1977-80. During his time at URI, the Rams went to the NCAA tournament in 1978 and NIT in 1979.
In 1980, Hahn began a six-year stint as an assistant coach at Ohio University under Danny Nee. At Ohio, the Bobcats won the Mid-American Conference championship in 1983 and 1985, advancing to the NCAA tournament in both of those years. The Bobcats also went to the NIT in 1986.
It was during his time in Athens where Hahn developed a close friendship with ESPN commentator Fran Fraschilla.
In 1986, Hahn was named head coach at Ohio University and led the Bobcats for three years until 1989, helping them to the MAC championship game in 1988. At Ohio, he recruited and coached the school's all-time leading scorer in Dave Jamerson, and also recruited and coached Paul Graham, the MAC player of the year in 1989.
Hahn's head coaching tenure at La Salle lasted three years from 2001-04. Prior to WVU, he was director of the Hoop Group, a New Jersey-based recruiting and camp service, and also did some basketball television commentary.
The list of NBA players he was involved with during his coaching career is impressive: Sly Williams, Paul Graham, Dave Jamerson, Tony Massenburg, Jerrod Mustaf, Walt Williams, Keith Booth, Joe Smith, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Laron Profit, Terence Morris, Obinna Ekezie, Steve Francis, Chris Wilcox, Lonny Baxter, Steve Blake, Juan Dixon, Steven Smith, Rasual Butler, Joe Alexander, Da'Sean Butler, Devin Ebanks and Jevon Carter.
Hahn earned his bachelor's degree in distributive education with a minor in business administration from Maryland in 1975. While there, he was a three-year varsity letterwinner under Lefty Driesell on three of the best basketball teams Maryland history.
He was a freshman in 1971-72 when the Terps won the National Invitation Tournament and was a key reserve on the team that lost in what is considered the greatest game in ACC history (Maryland's 103-100 overtime setback against NC State in 1974).
He captained the team during his senior year in 1975. Hahn is one of only two players in Maryland basketball history to play and coach in the NCAA tournament.
A native of Mishawaka, Indiana, where he attended Penn High, Hahn is survived by his wife, Kathi, son, Matthew and his wife Christie, a daughter, Ashley and her husband Brian Calvery, and two grandchildren.
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