Josh Eilert Gives His Opinion of WVU’s Javon Small as Big Player of the Year

Javon Small is no stranger to receiving praise this season, but the most recent coach to give him his stamp of approval is a familiar one to WVU fans. Utah interim head coach Josh Eilert believes Small is deserving of being the Big 12 Player of the Year.

“He’s got my vote. He’s the ultimate winner,” said Eilert about Small after his Utes came up just shy against West Virginia, losing 71-69 on Tuesday night.

“I saw him last year at Oklahoma State and he hit a big three against us late and it was a very similar game that I managed in Stillwater against him. He hit that critical three late against us again. He’s a winner. He plays the game the right way. He doesn’t force things when he doesn’t have to. A lot of people are throwing a lot of different guys at him and being really physical with him and he keeps on producing,” added Eilert.

Utah interim HC Josh Eilert on Javon Small as Big 12 Player of the Year:

"He’s got my vote. He’s the ultimate winner. I saw him last year at Oklahoma State and he hit a big three against us late and it was a very similar game that I managed in Stillwater against him. He hit…

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) March 5, 2025

Just like he did last season while with Oklahoma State, Small cost Eilert’s team a chance at an upset. Small scored 18 points in 36 minutes while also recording seven assists and four rebounds. But most notably, he hit critical shots and made big plays in the final minutes to secure the victory.

WVU also beat Utah 72-61 in early February when Eilert made his return to Morgantown, granted he was only an assistant at that time. Eilert was then named Utah’s interim head coach on Feb. 24 when the Utes decided to part ways with Craig Smith.

After his most recent performance, Small is averaging 18.2 points, 5.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 30 games played. He’s carried the mantle for the Mountaineers after his co-star Tucker DeVries suffered what became a season-ending injury in December.

Small now has WVU looking like a lock for an NCAA Tournament appearance, a major turnaround from Eilert’s season in charge, one many view as arguably the worst single season in program history.

Eilert had been with West Virginia’s program for 17 seasons after following Bob Huggins from Kansas State. He was promoted to a main assistant coaching role in 2022. West Virginia finished 9-23 last season with Eilert as the interim head coach and he was hired as an assistant coach at Utah in June.

For a related story, WVU head coach Darian DeVries had some kind words for Josh Eilert after their game against each other.