An oldie but a goodie

Bob Huggins greets a former player. (Travis Heying/The Wichita Eagle)I looked at this photo from last week’s West Virginia-Kansas State photo gallery and wondered who Bob Huggins was so happy to see. After all, the man is wearing no K-State purple, so it probably wasn’t an old Manhattan acquaintance.

Come to find out it may be the only City League basketball player to ever play for Huggy Bear. It’s Floyd Johnson, an All-City pick from Heights in 1985 who played two seasons for Huggins at Akron (1987-89).

Johnson played two seasons for Randy Smithson at Butler Community College, averaging 12 points and 7 rebounds. Huggins signed Johnson before his fourth season at Akron. The Zips were an independent at the time, transitioning from the Ohio Valley Conference to the Mid-Continent Conference, but were 42-15 in those two seasons. Johnson’s senior year included an NIT game.

Huggins and Johnson left at the same time — Huggins was hired by Cincinnati and became a national name. Johnson is back in Wichita, working for Sedgwick County.

Smithson and Huggins . . . Floyd probably has some stories.

This story was originally published December 12, 2011 at 2:56 PM with the headline "An oldie but a goodie."