West Virginia names assistant Eilert interim coach

• Pete Thamel, ESPNJun 24, 2023, 08:04 PM ET

West Virginia has discovered a short-term service to replace left guys’s basketball coach Bob Huggins.The school announced on Saturday it is elevating assistant men’s basketball coach Josh Eilert to head coach for the 2023-24 season. Athletic director Wren Baker stated the timing of Huggins’departure factored into raising Eilert in an interim role.”I consulted with knowledgeable basketball people around the country over the last week, including coaches, expert basketball executives and others of whom I depend recognize a strong group of candidates to talk to,” Baker said.”Eventually what I concerned acknowledge, was that performing this search in late June was difficult for many of our prospects and likewise it put our talented student-athletes at a genuine disadvantage. With that stated, we will perform our nationwide search at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.”Editor’s Picks 2 Associated Eilert has been on staff at WVU in various functions because 2007. He has actually

been a full-time

assistant

because July of 2022 after serving in numerous functions in basketball operations and as video coordinator.The relocate to Eilert came in the wake of West Virginia performing a more standard search throughout a tough time to draw a high-end coach. This leaves WVU the opportunity to try to keep together its roster and attempt to run a search in a more standard time frame following next season.West Virginia has already lost 3 crucial players to the transfer portal– Tre Mitchell, Kerr Kriisa and Joe Toussaint entered the

portal in the wake of Huggins’arrest for suspicion of DUI and subsequent resignation. Mitchell averaged 11.7 points per game for the Mountaineers last season, Kriisa led the Pac-12 in assists while at Arizona and Toussaint scored 9.4 PPG for the Mountaineers.WVU put together among the nation’s top NCAA transfer website classes last year, with aid from the school’s cumulative, Back road Trust. The school intends to keep the huge majority of that class undamaged, as the players have a 30-day window to move in the wake of the training change.Eilert worked for Huggins as a graduate assistant at Kansas State, where he also played.WVU went 19-15 last season and lost to Maryland in the preliminary of the NCAA tournament.”Josh Eilert is the best individual to lead our

men’s basketball program next season,”Baker included.”He has been an important part of our success, and he

has displayed fantastic stability, work ethic and dedication. He has actually been associated with all facets of

our program during his time on the basketball staff, and he has earned this opportunity to coach our group on an interim basis for the 2023-24 season.”