Josh Eilert is Set to Make His Return to West Virginia

The former interim head coach of the Mountaineers will be back in Morgantown this Saturday.

Mar 9, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers interim head coach Josh Eilert during the first half against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Fifth Third Arena. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

One day soon, Josh Eilert will be the head coach of a Division I college basketball program. That is if he wants to. After dealing with the tumultuous season a year ago as the interim at West Virginia, no one could blame him if he never wants to sit in that seat again.

It was a messy and complicated situation from the jump, having to recruit the players on the roster to stay, recruit those committed to stay put, while also trying to add other pieces to complete the puzzle. Oh yeah, and he had to follow in the footsteps of a Hall of Famer without much notice or ample time to prepare.

The deeper things got into the season, the more things started to unravel for Eilert's squad. From Akok Akok suffering a scary situation where he collapsed in the team's exhibition to Kerr Kriisa's nine-game suspension for something that took place at Arizona to RaeQuan Battle and Noah Farrakhan not being able to play for the first month of the season due to transfer eligibility issues to Jesse Edwards missing significant time due to a fractured wrist - it was a nightmare to manage.

While the team struggled to win games, you never once heard Eilert make any excuses. He was dealt an extremely tough hand, yet handled it with class from the day he stepped into the role until the day he left.

This Saturday, Eilert will make his return to the WVU Coliseum as an assistant coach for the Utah Utes. This will mark his first game on the opposing bench of a WVU game for the first time in his career.

Excerpt from Eilert's farewell note to West Virginia

Feb 24, 2024; Ames, Iowa, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Josh Eilert speaks with guard Kerr Kriisa (3) during their game against the Iowa State Cyclones in the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images / Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

"There were many narratives created this season. Many opined over me, this team, the administration. However, THE ONLY story that matters, as it turns out, is not about me as the interim head coach or this team, which experienced an unprecedented situation full of turmoil and hardship. THE STORY of this season is, in fact, about you, the fans.

"While there was much division surrounding this season, the team and me, you all kept showing up. Night after night. And in my estimation, that is what families do in times of need and hardship, and we are a Mountaineer Family. It was not always comfortable or fun, but you were there.

"The public and often harsh ridicule never outweighed the private encouragement or all of the faces in the stands on any given night - at home and on the road - and that meant more to us as a team, a staff, and an administration than can be properly put into words.

"I am acutely aware that this season was not what anyone expected, from start to finish. No one is more disappointed about that than I am. The postmortem on that can and will be debated. There were the challenges you all saw and experienced with us, and then there were those that you did not; some so detrimental that they could not be overcome under the circumstances. But know that I did everything in my power to protect this team and represent this University to the best of my ability."

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