WVU Basketball’s Josh Eilert Talks Addition of Football’s Aden Tagaloa-Nelson

WVU interim HC Josh Eilert added football safety Aden Tagaloa-Nelson to the basketball team on Saturday afternoon. Following WVU’s win over No. 25 Texas, Eilert went into further detail about adding the freshman football player.

One of the prospects Eilert was recruiting introduced him to Nelson, who is good friends with the basketball recruit.

“I probably met Aden over a year ago. I was out on the recruiting trail out in Kentucky and I met him. I saw him play for the first time when I was scouting someone else,” Eilert said.

“He was such a nice young man and I carried on that relationship with him and told him when you get to Morgantown, come by the office and if you need anything let me know. And he took me up on that,” Eilert added.

When Nelson took Eilert up on stopping by the basketball facility, he introduced himself to the staff. Eilert once again told Nelson if he wanted to join an open gym with the players, to let him know.

Eilert continued to stay in touch with Nelson throughout the football season. Nelson appeared in the Duquesne game for Neal Brown. Once the Mountaineers completed a nine-win season, capped off by a Duke’s Mayo Bowl win over North Carolina, Nelson reached back out to Eilert asking if he could join the team.

“He’s just a high-character kid and a guy that wants to compete every day,” Eilert said. “We’re really happy to have Aden in whatever capacity that may be.”

Eilert isn’t quite sure how he will use Nelson if that’s just to have another player to practice with. For now, Nelson will remain on the team until the end of the season, according to WVU. Eilert made sure everything was okay with coach Brown.

“Football is [Aden’s] priority and it’ll continue to be his priority but if he can help us and he wants to be involved, I’d love to have him each and every day,” Eilert said.

West Virginia will look to go 2-0 with Nelson on the roster as the Mountaineers (6-10, 1-2 Big 12) travel to Oklahoma to take on the ranked Sooners on Wednesday night.