Three Reasons Why Josh Eilert Was the Right Choice

Josh Eilert is the new head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers, on an interim basis that is.

Sure, it would have been a splash to land someone like Jay Wright (was never happening) or seeing the return of John Beilein, but from the very beginning, Eilert was the right guy for the job.

Why?

Odds of retaining roster increase

The players made it very clear that they wanted the next head coach to be someone who is currently on staff, particularly Eilert. They pushed hard for them which means they are willing to fight for him on the floor as well.

Joe Toussaint, Tre Mitchell, and Kerr Kriisa are all in the transfer portal but have left open the option to return. Bringing in someone from the outside such as John Beilein or Andy Kennedy would have put the chances of retaining the roster at risk. With Eilert, there's a chance all three return and the whole team sticks together.

Never settle in a long-term commitment

An NFL general manager once told me going through a coaching search is like trying to find the love of your life. It's a long, difficult process and that's the way it needs to be in order for it to work.

You don't want to just rush into something and get married just to say you're married and then two years into realize it was the wrong choice.

It's the same thing with a coaching search and in particular, the timing of this one. You're not going to have the same caliber of candidates available in mid-late June as you would immediately at the end of a season. At this point, you're looking at options that would be way down your list in a normal search. Just like you wouldn't settle for the 18th or 19th option as to who you would marry. You don't want to get into a multi-year agreement with someone you don't have strong conviction on just to realize it was a mistake and fire him two years later. See the similarity now?

Low risk, high reward

No, Josh Eilert has never been a head coach but that doesn't mean he's not fit for the job. The man knows basketball and quite frankly, knows more about the ins and outs of the program than anyone not named Bob Huggins over the last 17 years.

If he succeeds at a very high level, then you can consider removing the tag and award him the job permanently. If that's the case, then you're spending less money on the head coaching position and can use that left over money on retaining assistants, upgrading things within the facility, or whatever else to help the program grow. Plus, he's only 43 years old which means if he succeeds, you have a young coach to build with. This is likely one reason why the interim tag wasn't given to Ron Everhart, who is 61.

If it doesn't work out or it's just an average season and you can tell he's not ready for the job full-time, then you revisit the search and the spring and go find your long-term answer.

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