Josh Eilert doesn’t have to go far to look for motivation.
It quite literally is hanging on the wall of his office in the form of a collage that was made to help fill the blank space after assuming leadership of the basketball program.
The picture is a collection of shots from the day that Eilert was introduced as the interim head coach of the Mountaineers and a word is noticeable on a television screen in the background. “Interim.”
“I stare at that every day. I look at it as a challenge. From a personal standpoint I can provide a lot of growth for myself by starting at that every day,” Eilert said.
Eilert, who is getting his shot to lead a program after spending 16-years on staff in Morgantown, understands that he is only guaranteed to lead the program for 10-months. But it’s a golden opportunity to for not only him but his coaching staff to prove that they are the right fits long term.
So, how Eilert uses that time and builds the program will ultimately determine his future.
“Now is there a lot of pressure? Absolutely, there’s a lot of pressure but I’m excited to take it on and take on that challenge,” he said.
Eilert was appointed into the position after former head coach Bob Huggins resigned after a pair of off-the-court incidents over the summer including a DUI charge. Eilert didn’t realize that would even be an opportunity at first as he was working with only around 10-days left on his contract when Huggins initially resigned. Still, a conversation with Athletic Director Wren Baker proved critical.
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With all the turmoil unfolding after the legendary Huggins’ departure, Baker asked to meet with Eilert and asked him to provide leadership and guidance while keeping the program in working order as he looked for a potential replacement. As Eilert tended to that, he asked Baker if he could get the opportunity to interview for the open post and sell himself to his boss.
That work with the players and helping to keep the program together led to Eilert getting tabbed as the interim head coach. It’s a title he would eventually like to shed for a more permanent one but is grateful for the opportunity that he now has on his hands.
“I tell people a lot of times he put me through the ringer. He made sure I was the man for the job and made sure I was ready for it,” Eilert said.
It’s a unique situation that both West Virginia and Eilert, who is under contract for $1.25 million this season, find themselves in with no direct comparison. There are similar situations, but this is one that is unique to itself given the timing and how it all played out.
Eilert leaned on the advice of another coach that found himself in a similar situation in Joe Mazzulla.
“He said look at this as the greatest opportunity of your life in a lot of ways you’re playing with house money and I am. I’ve got a chance to show myself, prove myself and be a leader of this organization. There are going to be a lot of challenges and certainly control what you can control. That’s helped me sleep at night,” Eilert said.
In the meantime, Eilert is approaching his job full steam ahead recruiting not only for this year but future ones as well as he looks to lay the foundation. He also has embraced analytics in some areas as well as rest and recovery things that are more new age than his predecessor.
“I’m going to do what’s best for west Virginia basketball. That’s first and foremost if things go south with Josh Eilert here at the helm, I want to put west Virginia in the best place possible,” he said.
But make no mistake about it. Eilert fully intends on being here.
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