Some new coaches have big shoes to fill.
And then there's Fairmont State University's Joe Mazzulla and West Liberty's Ben Howlett.
Mazzulla has not two, but four shoes to fill. Howlett, meanwhile, has to fill a pair that only Shaquille O'Neal fit into.
Consider of what I write. First, Mazzulla and every coach that hits the Friendly City of Fairmont will always be compared to Joe Retton. All "Joe Joe" did was win 478 games, have nine All-America players, lead his team to the NAIA title game, win national NAIA Coach of the Year honors twice and West Virginia Conference honors six times. He's in the state Hall of Fame.
Yet now Mazzulla is also following in the footsteps of Jerrod Calhoun, who led the Falcons to this season's national title game before taking over at Youngstown State. All Calhoun did was roll up an overall record at FSU of 124-38.
Meanwhile, Howlett is not only taking over for West Liberty's most successful basketball coach ever, he's taking over for the most successful coach by percentage in NCAA men's basketball history. Jim Crutchfield resigned after 13 seasons with the Hilltoppers to take over at Nova Southeastern in Florida. The record that follows him: 359-61. Mixed in there were four Division II Final Fours, five Elite Eights and a national title game appearance in 2014.
"It's tough," Howlett said on Monday. "Obviously, Coach is currently the active most winningest coach. The guy following him - whoever it is - is going to feel some pressure. But I'm not looking at it like that. Every coach in the country feels pressure.
"Getting this job at the age of 30 at such a high-level Division II school is exciting. I'm going to put every ounce of energy and effort into keeping this program at the top."
That won't be easy. And isn't there a coaching axiom that warns not to follow the guy that was THE guy?
Mazzulla shrugs that off.
"The interesting and fortunate thing for myself and Ben is we were both part of these programs," he said. "We weren't making all the decisions, but we understand how the culture was built and what type of kids to bring into that culture and community. We both have a little advantage being a part of that."
Indeed, Mazzulla was a Calhoun assistant for three years after working for two years at Glenville. Howlett was first a guard for Crutchfield and spent the last six seasons as an assistant on the Hilltopper staff.
Plus, these two don't have to rebuild. They do, however, have to maintain.
"You're only as good as your players," Howlett said. "We have to continue to get good players in here. But I'm keeping the same style of play. I want to be up-tempo. I want us to defensively put pressure on offenses and cause discomfort. Offensively, I want us to explore all options. I want everything in the arsenal."
Word is, West Liberty officials never considered hiring from outside the program. At Fairmont, athletic director Tim McNeely was able to hire from within (although Mazzulla had begun a support job with the NBA D-League's Maine Red Claws) as well as land a "name" coach. Mazzulla was a fan favorite guard at WVU.
"I think [having a known name] will be a help," Mazzulla said. "I think I have a good rapport with my contacts, some of which helped get us the [FSU] team that went to the national championship."
Yet back to filling the shoes previously worn by Retton and Calhoun.
"I've talked to both coaches," Mazzulla said. "You can look at it two ways. You could say there's pressure because of them or you could say you learned from being around them and do your best. I don't feel pressure as much as I'm excited for the opportunity. I truly believe in myself as a coach and those around me. That's half the battle."
Mazzulla said he will, however, lean on Retton.
"I'm going to have him at every practice like Coach Calhoun did," said the new Falcons coach. "Any wisdom I can get from him will only help us."
Fairmont is losing 55 percent of its offense from this season. Standout Matt Bingaya is done. But Mazzulla will gain the services of Caleb Davis, who was injured this past season, as well as redshirt junior R.J. Hutcherson.
"It's no secret," Mazzulla said. "We have to use our momentum to go get another impact player. The expectation is to be where we were last year and get the same kind of talent we've had."
Both communities seem to be content with their new coaches. Howlett seems rock solid for West Liberty while Mazzulla could be the proverbial home run for FSU.
"People believe in me and support me," Mazzulla said. "I have a great staff, great players, a great community and great support from the athletic department. It's just a matter of believing in yourself, trusting yourself and those around you - and continuing the excellence."
Indeed, both must walk the walk - while wearing very big shoes.