By ADAM ZAGORIA
West Virginia assistant coach Josh Eilert has emerged as the favorite to replace Naismith Hall of Famer Bob Huggins, and an announcement could come as soon as Saturday, multiple sources said.
Huggins, 69, resigned last weekend after a DUI arrest in Pittsburgh that followed an incident last month in which he twice used a homophobic slur and also made anti-Catholic comments on the radio. He was the active Division 1 leader in wins with 935,
West Virginia officials spoke Thursday night with Eilert and fellow assistant Ron Everhart in a “fact-finding” mission, sources said, while various other established head coaches, including former West Virginia coach John Beilein, UAB coach Andy Kennedy, Liberty’s Ritchie McKay, Tulane’s Ron Hunter and Youngstown State’s Jerrod Calhoun, have been linked to the job.
A native of Osborn, Kan., Eilert has spent the last 15 seasons on the Mountaineer basketball staff, including serving as an interim assistant coach during the 2016-17 season. He was named assistant men’s basketball coach in July 2022.
“We love him,” one current player said.
Eilert came to West Virginia in 2007 from Kansas State, where he served as a graduate assistant under Huggins in 2006-07. He was a walk-on at Kansas-State from 2002-04.
The current roster is in flux with Tre Mitchell, Kerr Kriisa and Joe Toussaint also planning to transfer. The 6-foot-9 Mitchell, who averaged 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds last season, has finalized a visit to Kentucky on Saturday, a source said.
The 6-foot Toussaint, meantime, has heard from a slew of schools, including Gonzaga, Kansas State, DePaul, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Nebraska, Georgetown, Texas Tech, Pitt and Oklahoma.
Still, returning to West Virginia remains a possibility for both Mitchell and Toussaint, sources said.
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