Josh Eilert named interim head coach at West Virginia
Long-time staffer Josh Eilert has been named interim head coach at West Virginia, the school announced on Saturday. Eilert came to Morgantown with Bob Huggins in 2007 and spent six years as video coordinator, eight as director of basketball operations and two as an assistant coach.
“Josh Eilert is the right person to lead our men’s basketball program next season,” AD Wren Baker said. “He has been an important part of our success, and he has displayed great integrity, work ethic and dedication. He has been involved in all facets of our program during his time on the basketball staff, and he has earned this opportunity to coach our team on an interim basis for the 2023-24 season. Our athletics department will provide Josh, his staff and our student-athletes with a great support system and will do everything we can to ensure a successful season. Change is never easy and always presents challenges, but I am confident that this is the correct decision at this time. Moving forward and continuing our preparation for the upcoming season is the top priority now for our program.”
Eilert followed Huggins to WVU after spending the 2006-07 season as one of his graduate assistants at Kansas State. A native of Osborne, KS, Eilert played for the Wildcats and head coach Jim Wooldridge from 2002-04 and was named Academic All-Big 12 as a senior.
“I’m excited about this opportunity to lead the wonderful group of guys that we have in our locker room,” Eilert said. “They have been working extremely hard on the court, in the weight room and in the classroom since they returned to campus on June 5. In the coming days and weeks, I will be solidifying our roster and getting our team ready to head to Italy later this summer.”
The first order of business for the new coach is holding together a Mountaineers’ lineup that has been in a state of flux since Huggins’ resignation last week. That includes Joe Toussaint and Arizona transfer Kerr Kriisa, who both entered the transfer portal on Friday.
credit to West Virginia Athletics for the image
