West Virginia University has officially named its new interim coach to lead the school's men's basketball team, following the recent resignation of long-time coach Bob Huggins.
Administrators appointed assistant coach Josh Eilert to fill the vacant position, left open after Huggins' stepped-down earlier this month shortly after he was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence in neighboring Pennsylvania.
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Eilert's resume lacks previous head coaching experience, but, despite this, he emerged as athletic director Wren Baker’s choice to bring the Mountaineers upwards, following a less-than satisfactory offseason, with the start of practice just four months away.
A Message From Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker https://t.co/gJrYC2MM4p
— WVU Sports (@WVUSports) June 25, 2023
“I spoke with knowledgeable basketball people around the country over the last week, including coaches, professional basketball executives and others of whom I trust to identify a strong group of candidates to speak with,” Baker said in a statement announcing the move Saturday evening.
“Ultimately what I came to recognize, was that conducting this search in late June was difficult for many of our candidates and also it put our talented student-athletes at a real disadvantage. With that said, we will conduct our national search at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season," he added.
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Following his recent arrest, Huggins addressed the DUI arrest in a statement, saying, "My recent actions do not represent the values of the University or the leadership expected in this role. While I have always tried to represent our University with honor, I have let all of you — and myself — down."