West Virginia appoints Josh Eilert as interim coach
West Virginia appointed assistant Josh Eilert as interim coach for the 2023-24 campaign, school vice president and director of athletics Wren Baker announced Saturday.
Eilert is set to replace longtime bench boss Bob Huggins, who resigned last week following his DUI arrest. The 42-year-old Eilert was a graduate assistant for the Hall of Famer at Kansas State in 2006-07 and subsequently followed him to Morgantown the next year.
While Eilert has no previous head coaching experience, he's filled various roles over his 16 years with the Mountaineers, including video coordinator and assistant athletics director for basketball operations.
"Josh Eilert is the right person to lead our men's basketball program next season," Baker said in a statement. "He has been an important part of our success, and he has displayed great integrity, work ethic, and dedication.
"He has been involved in all facets of our program during his time on the basketball staff, and he has earned this opportunity to coach our team on an interim basis for the 2023-24 season."
Eilert was the preferred choice of the Mountaineer players, sources told CBS Sports' Matt Norlander. However, he already has his work cut out after projected starters Tre Mitchell, Kerr Kriisa, and Joe Toussaint reportedly entered the transfer portal on Friday.
West Virginia finished eighth in the Big 12 last season, posting a 7-11 mark in conference play and a 19-15 overall record.