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Huggins resignation brings swirl of activity to WVU basketball

By Bob Madison - For the Chronicle | Jul 7, 2023

MORGANTOWN — “Interim head men’s basketball coach” is now the title carried by WVU’s Josh Eilert.

Eilert has been at WVU for 16 seasons, after following Bob Huggins from Kansas State University, where he had been for just one season.

When Huggins resigned last month, after being charged for driving under the influence in Pittsburgh, Pa., it put into motion a swirl of change for the Mountaineer program.

Eilert was given the head post for just the 2023-2024 season, while athletic director Wren Baker conducts what he is calling “our national search” for Huggins’ permanent replacement.

Huggins was out. Eilert was in. And a gusty wind of change was put into motion.

Eilert brought in assistant coaches Da’Sean Butler and Jordan McCabe, both former Mountaineer players and both with more than a few drops of enthusiasm.

The ever-churning transfer portal opened its spinning wheels and James Okonkwo, Mohamed Wague, Joe Toussant, Tre Mitchell and Jimmy Bell decided to move away from Morgantown and its now blustery winds of change.

Here come Jesse Edwards from Syracuse University, Kerr Kriisa from the University of Arizona, RaeQuan Battle from Montana State University and Jose Perez from Manhattan College. Another transfer planning to join the Mountaineers is Omar Silverio, who last was at Hofstra University, but did not play there.

Holdover coaches that join Eilert are former Mountaineer Alex Ruoff and DerMarr Johnson, who was on last season’s staff when the season concluded with a loss in the NCAA Tournament.

The schedule for the 2023-2024 season was already made, before Eilert was appointed. And he can begin to get comfortable when that schedule brings Missouri State, Monmouth and Jacksonville State (Alabama), as the first three games in early November.

How much tinkering Eilert will do with his ever-fluctuating roster will have to be watched.

How much outside pressure will be hurled at Baker to find a better-known coach will also have to be evaluated.

What will WVU’s final roster look like and how many of those players will be around for more than one season?

College basketball is now a constant whirlwind of activity, staying motionless for no more than mere minutes at a time.

It seems all the so-called “revenue sports” are much the same with football, baseball and even women’s basketball shuffling their newly dealt cards at every turn.

What does WVU have in the way of “NIL” money? That’s “name, image and likeness” money that can now be earned by college athletes. Gymnast Olivia Dunne (LSU) and swimmer Ella Myers (Texas) are capitalizing on their ever-increasing fame to rake in the available jackpots of money.

If West Virginia finds adequate NIL money, it should be able to keep spinning the transfer portal’s doors and remain mostly competitive. If it can’t produce the funds today’s players think are due them, then stand aside and watch the teams like Texas, Kansas, Houston and Brigham Young from your own football conference pass you by.

Eilert will have the state rooting for him.

But will they be rooting only with their lungs, hand clapping and faith . . . and not much money in the NIL arena of vital importance?