What Josh Eilert Said Following the Loss to UMass

The West Virginia Mountaineers (4-6) fell to the UMass Minutemen (6-2) Saturday night 87-79.

Opening Statement

I told those guys going into that game I know (UMass head coach) Frank (Martin) well. He’s a physical guy and he loves physicality and I said, you better be ready. He’s going to bring. They certainly brought the fight to us and it took way too long for us to turn that page and start bowing up and it took to the second half before we took on that pressure and fought through it. So, kudos to Frank. Respect the hell out of him. He’s a great mentor of mine. We go back to the Kansas State days and appreciate all of his guidance and mentorship over the years. I guess if you’re going to lose to someone, it’s a good friend.

Noah Farrakhan's Debut

I was concerned basically trying to transition three and a half guys and still trying to get (WVU forward) Akok (Akok) where he needs to be conditioning-wise – he’s played in two games. To have those guys and have some depth at the guard position was going to be critical. He brought a lot of spark off the bench and he can handle the ball and really put a lot of pressure on the rim going downhill.

RaeQuan Battle's absence due to illness

Wednesday, he testified in court and Wednesday night, I think he thought he ate something bad. He probably slept 12-15 hours on Wednesday night, afternoon all the way through. Didn’t practice on Thursday because he lost so much weight and was under the weather. Practiced yesterday, thought he was bouncing back and then today, it was a turn for the worse again. So, he’s fighting through a illness right now and wants to be out there for his teammates but I’m not going to have him out there down 13 pounds in the conditions he’s in.

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