The questions have been many, but the answers have been few.
That is the best way to describe the events surrounding West Virginia University these past few months, especially surrounding the football program and head-coach-in-waiting Dana Holgorsen.
Area fans will get a chance to corner the Mountaineers' newest coach as well as Director of Athletics Oliver Luck and head men's basketball coach Bobby Huggins when the Mountaineer Athletic Club's Coaches Caravan makes its annual local stop at 6 p.m. Thursday at J.P. Henry's Restaurant.
Beginning with owners Tom and Sabrina Hughes, who do everything they can to turn the interior of their establishment into an old gold and blue sanctuary, the event is a first-class affair.
So much so that I never have interviewed a member of the Mountaineers' coaching staff that did not relish the opportunity to visit the area.
The food, which is in abundance, is excellent and there is never an empty glass to be found.
Then, there is announcer Dave Hall. If you are not a West Virginia fan when you enter the W.Va. 2 restaurant, his enthusiasm is so overwhelming that it will be a good bet that you will be when you leave.
There is little wonder why the MAC has made Parkersburg its first stop the past several years and why Thursday's list of attending coaches is more of a staple rather than a rarity.
During its nine-year tenure at J.P. Henry's the event has raised more than $120,000, which goes to the Mountaineer Athletic Club to fund scholarships for student-athletes.
Ticket holders also will find themselves eligible for door prizes and other giveaways during the evening.
Still many, myself included, will come with questions they would like to have answered concerning one of the many teams that will be represented or about the new policies that may be introduced at Mountaineer Field in the fall.
I can't believe there won't be many questions for Holgorsen and the other first-year offensive assistants about what fans can expect to see when the Mountaineers open the season against Marshall in the Friends of Coal Bowl on Saturday, Sept. 3.
Plus, there will be those who will want to know how the men's and women's basketball teams will cope with so many new faces expected to be on their rosters in the fall.
Huggins, who has not missed a trip here, will be on hand. Women's head coach Mike Carey will be represented at the event by assistant Jill Pizzotti.
Someone who might be on the hot seat with some fans is Luck.
During his first year at the helm of the athletic program in Morgantown, the former Mountaineer quarterback has made several dramatic changes that have brought about much discussion around the Mountain State.
But, he, like the coaches in attendance, will be more than willing to answer any question offered.
Well, maybe not every one.
Contact Jim Butta at jbutta@newsandsentinel.com
