Breaking: West Virginia Officially Opens National Search For MBB Job

West Virginia made the official announcement on Wednesday morning that they will be moving forward from interim HC Josh Eilert, conducting a national search for its next men’s basketball head coach, per release. Eilert was promoted last June, replacing Bob Huggins after his resignation, and received a 10-month contract worth $1.5 million at the time.

“As I shared last summer following our initial coaching transition, we decided to wait until the conclusion of the 2023-24 season before embarking on a full national search,” WVU AD Wren Baker said in a release. “Upon our return to Morgantown from the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship, I met with Coach Eilert, the coaching staff and the team to let them know we are moving forward with our search plans. All of Mountaineer Nation owes a debt of gratitude to Coach Eilert for his leadership during a challenging season, as he and his staff faced all obstacles with class and professionalism.

“We are now focused on our collective future, and I am excited about what comes next. We compete in the best men’s basketball conference in America, we have incredible fans and supporters, we have a history of success and we have a commitment to winning. I am confident we will engage a strong pool of candidates and identify the right leader for our program. As I shared with our student-athletes, we will move deliberately but as swiftly as we can in the days ahead.”

WVU’s season ended on Tuesday, falling to Cincinnati 90-85 in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament. The Mountaineers finished 9-23 (4-14 Big 12) on the season, coming in last place in the Big 12. West Virginia’s 23 losses mark the most in a single season in program history.

“This whole entire year, and the moment I got the job, it’s been filled with challenges, problems to solve, issues to deal with. It’s just been nonstop whether it’s been internal or external issues. It’s just been quite the rollercoaster,” Eilert said on Tuesday. “You know what you do? You wake up every day and try to figure out how you attack those issues, work out solutions. We got to the finish line, certainly not where we want to be from a record standpoint but I think everybody learned and grew as humans, as individuals.”

Eilert has been with West Virginia’s program for 17 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.

When Eilert took over, he and his staff had to recruit the transfer portal once again, gaining multiple commitments throughout the summer months into the fall. After waiver denials, a freak medical issue and a suspension, West Virginia had eight scholarship players available for game one of the season. WVU did not play with their full roster until late January.

WV Sports Now will keep you updated on the latest coaching search news.