West Virginia basketball promotes Josh Eilert to interim coach after Bob Huggins’ abrupt exit

One week after longtime head coach Bob Huggins stepped down, West Virginia tapped Josh Eilert because the interim basketball coach, athletic director Wren Baker introduced on Saturday. Eilert at present serves as an assistant coach.

Huggins, who abruptly resigned hours after a drunk driving arrest, was named the Mountaineers head coach in 2007. The promotion offers Eilert his first head teaching alternative.

Baker mentioned in made extra sense for the basketball program to pick out an inner candidate given the problem of conducting a broad search throughout the summer season.

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FILE – West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins watches from the bench throughout the first half of an NCAA faculty basketball sport towards Iowa State, Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photograph/Charlie Neibergall, File)

“I spoke with educated basketball folks across the nation during the last week, together with coaches, skilled basketball executives and others of whom I belief to determine a powerful group of candidates to talk with,” Baker mentioned in an announcement. 

“In the end what I got here to acknowledge, was that conducting this search in late June was tough for a lot of of our candidates, and likewise it put our gifted student-athletes at an actual drawback. With that mentioned, we are going to conduct our nationwide search on the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.”

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In accordance with NCAA rules, WVU gamers have 30 days to resolve whether or not they need to enter the switch portal. The athletes would have already entered the portal nonetheless have the choice to return to Morgantown for the autumn.

Eilert might be the glue that retains collectively an higher class-heavy roster constructed largely via transfers.

“Josh Eilert is the best particular person to steer our males’s basketball program subsequent season,” Baker mentioned. “He has been an necessary a part of our success, and he has displayed nice integrity, work ethic and dedication. He has been concerned in all aspects of our program throughout his time on the basketball workers, and he has earned this chance to educate our workforce on an interim foundation for the 2023-24 season.”

The 43-year-old Eilert first joined Huggins as a graduate assistant at Kansas State in 2006, then adopted him to West Virginia in 2007. Eilert has had quite a lot of roles with the Mountaineers, together with video coordinator and director of basketball operations, earlier than being named an assistant coach in July 2022.

Head coach Bob Huggins of the West Virginia Mountaineers reacts throughout the first half towards the Maryland Terrapins within the first spherical of the NCAA Males’s Basketball Match at Legacy Enviornment on the BJCC on March 16, 2023 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Photographs)

“I want to thank Wren Baker, President Gee, Rob Alsop, Steve Uryasz and the remainder of our administration for believing in me and giving me the chance to steer our storied Mountaineer basketball program,” Eilert mentioned. “I might additionally wish to thank Coach Huggins for retaining me on his workers at Ok-State in 2006 and for bringing me to West Virginia in 2007. I’ve realized a lot from Coach Huggins, and it was an honor to work for a Corridor of Fame coach for the final 17 years.”

Amongst others who have been linked to the opening have been UAB coach and former Huggins assistant Andy Kennedy, and former West Virginia and Michigan coach John Beilein.

West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins watches the run of play throughout the Big12 Match sport between the Kansas Jayhawks and the West Virginia Mountaineers on Thursday, March 9, 2023, on the T-Cell Heart in Kansas Metropolis, MO.   (Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire through Getty Photographs)

Huggins was the top coach at his alma mater for 16 years. He beforehand served as an assistant coach at West Virginia within the late Seventies.

Huggins was charged with driving below the affect in Pittsburgh on June 16. In accordance with a felony grievance, Huggins initially believed he was in Columbus, Ohio. A breath take a look at decided Huggins’ blood alcohol content material was greater than twice the authorized restrict. He has a preliminary listening to scheduled for Aug. 3 in Pittsburgh.

Final month, Huggins agreed to a three-game suspension, a $1 million wage discount and sensitivity coaching for utilizing the slur throughout an interview with Cincinnati radio station WLW.

Huggins pleaded no contest to driving below the affect in a suburb of Cincinnati and was ordered to attend a three-day intervention program. The College of Cincinnati, the place Huggins served as the top coach on the time, suspended him indefinitely with pay and informed Huggins to rehabilitate himself.

He was fired a 12 months later amid an influence wrestle with the varsity’s president in addition to the aftermath of the DUI arrest.

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Huggins entered the Basketball Corridor of Fame final September. In 41 seasons, his groups have gone to 25 NCAA Tournaments.

The Related Press contributed to this report.