West Virginia names interim replacement for Bob Huggins

Wren Baker, Vice President and Director of Athletics at West Virginia said Eilert was "the right person" to lead the Mountaineers for the upcoming season. 

"He has been an important part of our success, and he has displayed great integrity, work ethic and dedication," Baker said. "He has been involved in all facets of our program during his time on the basketball staff, and he has earned this opportunity to coach our team on an interim basis for the 2023-24 season." 

Eilert has been with WVU for 16 seasons, initially joining Huggins' staff in 2007. After working in various areas for the program over the years, Eilert officially joined the coaching staff as an assistant for the 2022-23 campaign. 

Though, as Baker hinted, Eilert's role at the top may not last long – he admitted that searching for a head coach in late June was not ideal while confirming that the program will conduct a "national search" at the end of the season. 

The real question remaining is whether or not WVU can retain last season's team, with several players, including Tre Mitchell, Kerr Kriisa and Joe Toussaint, already hitting the transfer portal. Though Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports hears that Toussaint is "still considering" a Morgantown return. 

The mess the Mountaineers find themselves in stems from Huggins' DUI arrest last Friday in Pittsburgh. Police discovered Huggins behind the wheel of his vehicle, which was sitting in the middle of an intersection with a shredded tire. Huggins subsequently failed roadside sobriety tests and reportedly had a blood-alcohol level over .23. It was his second DUI arrest since 2004. Huggins resigned on June 17.