Breaking: WVU Assistant Josh Eilert to Serve as Interim Head Coach in 2023-24

WVU assistant Josh Eilert will serve as the basketball team’s interim head coach for the 2023-24 season. Eilert steps in for Bob Huggins, who resigned last weekend following a DUI charge.

Eilert will coach next season and then will be evaluated at the end of the year.

Eilert has been with West Virginia’s program for 16 seasons after following Huggins from Kansas State. Eilert was promoted to a main assistant role after Erik Martin took the South Carolina State job in 2022. Eilert spent his first six seasons at WVU as a video coordinator under Huggins.

WVU Director of Athletics Wren Baker had a tough decision to make this week after Huggins’ resignation. West Virginia conducted a national search while considering internal options. The current Mountaineer roster was in favor of Eilert, as he and the staff recruited these players. Rumored candidates throughout the week were Andy Kennedy (UAB), Jerrod Calhoun (Youngstown State), John Beilein, Pat Kelsey (College of Charleston), Ron Hunter (Tulane), Ritchie McKay (Liberty) and others. It reached a point on Thursday where the team just wanted a coach in the position.

West Virginia currently has 10 players on the roster with four transfer portal additions and six returning players as of Friday. WVU returns Josiah Harris (F), Kobe Johnson (G), James Okonkwo (F), Patrick Suemnick (F), Mohamed Wague (F), Seth Wilson (G) while transfers RaeQuan Battle (G – Montana State), Jesse Edwards (C – Syracuse), Jose Perez (G – Manhattan) and Omar Silverio (G – Manhattan) are on campus.

West Virginia lost trio Tre Mitchell (F), Kerr Kriisa (G) and Joe Toussaint (G) to the transfer portal on Friday. Mitchell and Toussaint spent one season in the program while Kriisa transferred in from Arizona. WVU will attempt to get those players to exit the transfer portal with an internal hire.

WV Sports Now will keep you up to date on the latest news surrounding the basketball program.