CALL IT the long arms race.

It's the race to land blue chip basketball recruits. It's the race to become a national championship contender.

West Virginia University officially entered that race back in April of 2007. On the fifth of that month, athletic director Ed Pastilong hired Bob Huggins, one of the nation's finest basketball minds and recruiters.

Of course, Huggins has already landed blue-chip players like Devin Ebanks and Kevin Jones. He's scored shooter Casey Mitchell, expected to make a significant impact this coming season. He's received a commitment from Noah Cottrill, a four-star national recruit whose roots are in Poca.

And now Huggins is after the longest of arms. He's seriously in the hunt for Adreian Payne, a five-star, 6-foot-10 center with NBA potential from Dayton, Ohio. If the Mountaineer coach lands Payne, well, watch out ... everyone.

Huggins, though, needs a little help in this marathon race. He needs help from WVU's athletic department. And he really needs it now.

Here's the deal: Mountaineer basketball is hot. Huggins is hot. High caliber recruits are taking a serious look at Morgantown. What he now needs to show them is a new practice facility.

"It's not a want, it's a need,'' Huggins said. "There's a difference between a want and a need.''

Ever since Huggins has been in Morgantown, he's been expressing that view. Why? Look around. His buddy, John Calipari at Kentucky, can show a recruit a $30 million venue like the Joe Craft Center. Anthony Grant at Alabama is in line for a $4.5 million practice facility.

The list goes on and on. LSU spent $14 million on one. Baylor, for heaven's sake, spent $8 million on a 42,990-square-foot facility - that was completed in 10 months. Connecticut. Ole Miss. Florida State has a facility that gives players 24-hour access through a device that recognizes their fingerprints.

Go ahead. Google away. Iowa State is almost finished building an $8 million practice facility. Virginia Tech men's and women's basketball programs are a month away from moving into a new $21 million venue.

Oh, and yes, the firm of Jickling Lyman Powell Associates was hired to build a $23.2 facility for former Mountaineer coach John Beilein at Michigan. Former Mountaineer football coach Rich Rodriguez already received his new practice facility there. (Detecting a pattern?)

Again, that's Michigan. Home of Detroit. A city perhaps ravaged by the economic downturn like no other.

CALL IT the long arms race.

It's the race to land blue chip basketball recruits. It's the race to become a national championship contender.

West Virginia University officially entered that race back in April of 2007. On the fifth of that month, athletic director Ed Pastilong hired Bob Huggins, one of the nation's finest basketball minds and recruiters.

Of course, Huggins has already landed blue-chip players like Devin Ebanks and Kevin Jones. He's scored shooter Casey Mitchell, expected to make a significant impact this coming season. He's received a commitment from Noah Cottrill, a four-star national recruit whose roots are in Poca.

And now Huggins is after the longest of arms. He's seriously in the hunt for Adreian Payne, a five-star, 6-foot-10 center with NBA potential from Dayton, Ohio. If the Mountaineer coach lands Payne, well, watch out ... everyone.

Huggins, though, needs a little help in this marathon race. He needs help from WVU's athletic department. And he really needs it now.

Here's the deal: Mountaineer basketball is hot. Huggins is hot. High caliber recruits are taking a serious look at Morgantown. What he now needs to show them is a new practice facility.

"It's not a want, it's a need,'' Huggins said. "There's a difference between a want and a need.''

Ever since Huggins has been in Morgantown, he's been expressing that view. Why? Look around. His buddy, John Calipari at Kentucky, can show a recruit a $30 million venue like the Joe Craft Center. Anthony Grant at Alabama is in line for a $4.5 million practice facility.

The list goes on and on. LSU spent $14 million on one. Baylor, for heaven's sake, spent $8 million on a 42,990-square-foot facility - that was completed in 10 months. Connecticut. Ole Miss. Florida State has a facility that gives players 24-hour access through a device that recognizes their fingerprints.

Go ahead. Google away. Iowa State is almost finished building an $8 million practice facility. Virginia Tech men's and women's basketball programs are a month away from moving into a new $21 million venue.

Oh, and yes, the firm of Jickling Lyman Powell Associates was hired to build a $23.2 facility for former Mountaineer coach John Beilein at Michigan. Former Mountaineer football coach Rich Rodriguez already received his new practice facility there. (Detecting a pattern?)

Again, that's Michigan. Home of Detroit. A city perhaps ravaged by the economic downturn like no other.

WVU's progress on its plans?

"Well, we finished our design, which was done some time ago,'' said the Mountaineers' AD for Finance Russ Sharp. "We're actively raising money.''

That's been the case, though, for a couple of years. And Huggins, it seems, has had to do much of the heavy fund-raising lifting.

"We did have a donor come forward to relocate the utility lines there,'' Sharp said. "The labor has been donated. Some of that work will be in the footprint of the [proposed basketball practice facility] and some is in the [proposed] natatorium expansion, which is a project further down the road.

"About the middle of July, we'll start that work. That should take two to three months. Then we'll cover the trenches and see what happens.''

In other words, good luck Huggins. This project could drag on for another year. Or for another four.

It's a shame for the coach and WVU fans because, again, Mountaineer hoops is hot. The Mountaineers are one Adreian Payne away from seriously contending for Big East and NCAA titles.

It's time to make a dash for the tape in this race.

Instead of stumbling out of the starting blocks.

Reach Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827, mitchvin...@wvgazette.com or follow him at http://twitter.com/MitchVingle.