Utah basketball hires Josh Eilert as assistant coach

Utah has hired former West Virginia interim head coach Josh Eilert as an assistant coach, the team announced on Thursday.

Eilert previously spent 17 seasons with the Mountaineers, where he eventually took over the program as interim head coach during the 2023-24 season. He was leg go after WVU finished the season 9-23.

However, his stay in Morgantown saw more success than failure. During his time on the bench, the Mountaineers earned 11 NCAA Tournament berths, which includes a Final Four appearance in 2010 and five NCAA Sweet 16s.

“We’re thrilled to have Josh and his wonderful family join the Utah men’s basketball program,” Utes head coach Craig Smith said, via release. “Josh is an excellent coach in all facets. He is well rounded in all phases of the game and articulates the game in a clear and concise manner. Josh has an excellent background in player development and will specifically work with the ‘bigs’ in our program. He also has a vast knowledge of the Big 12, having played and coached in it for nearly two decades; which will be very impactful as we head into that conference this season.”

Eilert also issued comments on his change of scenery, his first since he arrived at WVU in the mid 2000s.

“I would like to thank Coach Smith and the University of Utah administration for this incredible opportunity,” Eilert said. “I have an immense amount of respect for Coach Smith for the way in which he runs his program and the success he has had along the way. I am thrilled to remain a member of the Big 12 Conference, a league that I have spent 17 years in. My family and I are eager to join the Salt Lake City community and represent the University of Utah and this storied basketball program! Go Utes!”

Before his time at West Virginia, Eilert spent time as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Kansas State, from 2005-07. He played there from 2002-04 and was a GA under his head coach Jim Wooldridge before moving on to work with Bob Huggins at WVU for mover a decade.

In the Utes final season being in the Pac-12, they finished with a 22-15 record — the first time Utah has eclipsed the 20-win threshold since the 2017-18 season. This coming season will be the fourth under current head coach Craig Smith as they transition to the Big 12 next season.