John Beilein Nearly Returned to West Virginia

In the end, West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker settled on naming Josh Eilert the interim head coach of the men's basketball program. But the search to replace Hall of Famer Bob Huggins was all over the place.

Former Huggins assistants Jerrod Calhoun (Youngstown State HC) and Andy Kennedy (UAB HC) were in the conversation for the job in addition to Ritchie McKay (Liberty), Ron Hunter (Tulane), and former WVU and Michigan head coach, John Beilein.

As a matter of fact, Beilein was West Virginia's "first choice" according to Hoppy Kercheval of WV MetroNews.

WVU's first choice was former WVU head coach John Beilein, but couldn't close the deal.
— Hoppy Kercheval (@HoppyKercheval) June 24, 2023

WVU worked hard to try to secure John Beilein, but reportedly Gordon Gee and Wren Baker are high on Eilert. Key is keeping roster, especially after three players had entered portal.
— Hoppy Kercheval (@HoppyKercheval) June 24, 2023

Kercheval's second tweet is a little contradicting which leads to some curiosity from the fanbase. Who "worked hard to secure" Beilein if Gee and Baker were "high" on Eilert?

That's the million dollar question.

My guess is that Gee wanted to bring Beilein back to West Virginia but eventually agreed with Baker on Eilert, understanding that would give the team the best chance to stay together.

Had Beilein taken the job, it would have been on a one-year basis. West Virginia was not in position to commit to anything long-term with the former Mountaineer head coach. If things went well, then the two sides would have discussed a multi-year deal, which is essentially what will happen with Eilert.

Beilein does seem open to the idea of returning to coaching, so we may see his name pop back up next spring when WVU goes through a more thorough search.

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