Josh Eilert Preseason Week 2
Transcript
00:00 [INAUDIBLE]
00:01 Well, Josh, I mean, I know you got other stuff,
00:04 but let's start this practice.
00:06 First, you went seven, eight, nine days?
00:09 Yeah, we're going into day seven, I believe, today.
00:13 So the schedule was we went Monday, Tuesday, off Wednesday,
00:18 Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
00:20 Saturday, I rewarded them with a scrimmage,
00:23 so a 20-minute scrimmage on Saturday,
00:25 and then gave Sunday off, and then Monday,
00:29 and now we're day seven here, Tuesday.
00:31 What do you think?
00:32 What do you see?
00:33 I've been very, very pleasantly surprised.
00:36 Guys are really stepping up and competing at every position.
00:39 And especially, I came in here and had media last Tuesday.
00:45 It was probably the worst practice that second day.
00:48 That second day, maybe they understood what we were doing
00:53 and kind of got bad vibes that day, bad energy.
00:56 And I had to stop a couple of times and just refocus.
01:00 And guys, it's going to be like this day in and day out.
01:04 We just-- and a lot of it, maybe, you look back,
01:08 you think maybe it's because they've never, to this point,
01:12 went back-to-back days.
01:14 And so I thought maybe that was the reason.
01:18 And we had Wednesday off, kind of refocused.
01:22 And then Thursday, Friday, Saturday was great.
01:24 We didn't have those same issues.
01:26 So we carried over and really brought the energy.
01:29 Where are you getting better, and who's
01:30 starting to make some strides?
01:33 Where we're getting better is probably just--
01:35 you talked about-- last time in the media,
01:38 we talked about our chemistry and learning
01:40 how to play off each other, knowing your personnel,
01:43 those type of things.
01:44 And I think guys are starting to understand
01:46 what other guys can do.
01:48 And the more we can develop in that area,
01:52 the better off we're going to be.
01:53 So I'm continually trying to mix and match
01:57 with the rotations and the teams.
02:00 So it's a competitive day in and day out.
02:02 I haven't separated anybody in terms
02:05 of what I'm seeing in terms of a starting lineup.
02:09 I haven't done that yet.
02:10 So to this point, just trying to keep everything competitive
02:14 and all those guys playing different combinations
02:17 to figure out who plays well together.
02:19 How about handling the ball?
02:20 So last couple of years, particularly preseason,
02:24 turnovers have been an issue.
02:25 How's that been?
02:26 It's been good.
02:29 Jeremiah's had his issues trying to learn everything.
02:32 And he's a young point guard.
02:33 We talked about the fact that he hasn't played a game of college
02:37 basketball yet.
02:38 So he certainly had his issues.
02:40 But I was so pleasantly surprised
02:42 when he was running the point there
02:44 in that 20-minute scrimmage on Saturday.
02:46 He was four assists, no turnovers.
02:49 So he stepped up.
02:51 We've been on him day in and day out.
02:53 And we've got great guys to mentor him.
02:57 Jordan's been a point guard.
02:59 All those other guys on the staff
03:01 really can get in his ear and show him the ways.
03:05 So I've been pleasantly surprised
03:07 with how those relationships are going.
03:09 And he's carrying some of that over.
03:11 Now I've told him, Jeremiah, I said,
03:14 the biggest impact you're going to have from day one
03:17 is probably going to be on the defensive end.
03:19 So as long as you can be salvageable on the offensive
03:21 end and not be a detriment, you're going to play.
03:26 Josh, you guys have a secret scrimmage this year?
03:30 Yeah, we do.
03:31 OK.
03:31 So I'm just kind of wondering, because of the Italy trip,
03:35 that kind of changed things a little bit.
03:38 And so even the scrimmage coming up on Friday,
03:42 the secret scrimmage, and then the charity thing,
03:44 I mean, normally those things are really kind of--
03:48 they're learning tools and really not really--
03:50 but how big do those kind of moments
03:52 become now in this process?
03:55 Yeah, the way we're scheduling everything,
03:59 I wanted to reward them at the end of the week last week
04:01 in terms of Saturday getting a 20-minute scrimmage
04:04 and everybody getting some good looks.
04:09 They practice and they drill and they practice and they drill.
04:12 So getting that opportunity, not only for them,
04:14 but for us as assistant coaches and me as a new head coach
04:18 to simulate on the sideline.
04:21 I'm going to do that.
04:22 I did that last Saturday.
04:23 I'm going to do it again this Saturday.
04:25 And the following weekend, we'll have a closed scrimmage
04:27 against a legit opponent.
04:30 And this weekend for Mountaineer Madness,
04:34 they'll play, but it's not going to be real structured.
04:37 But we're going to give them a chance to-- the fans
04:39 a chance to see what we're working with day in and day
04:42 out.
04:42 But yeah, then we'll have the charity exhibition game
04:45 with George Mason.
04:46 And then from there on, we open up.
04:49 So any time I can bring referees in here and simulate
04:52 a real game, it's going to be to my benefit,
04:54 to our assistant's benefits, the players' benefit.
04:57 I mean, we're trying to reward them and simulate it
05:00 as best we can.
05:01 Sounds like you charted that scrimmage.
05:03 Who were some of the guys that stood out in that scrimmage?
05:07 Seth really played really well early.
05:09 He played well early.
05:11 He was making shots.
05:12 Kobe and Seth played on that blue team together.
05:16 And Josiah Harris, those guys came out real well.
05:20 And I think that's what I talked about earlier,
05:22 the chemistry factor.
05:24 Those guys have played together.
05:26 So they knew what to expect from one another.
05:30 So the core group on the white team was Kerr, Ray, Jesse.
05:36 So you saw some errors that you can attribute to that.
05:41 And so they came out hot.
05:44 They were moving the ball really well, the blue team.
05:47 And then we got down 12 points at some point
05:51 and ended up forcing overtime just because we turned up
05:55 the pressure.
05:56 And I kept on reiterating the fact
05:58 that's how you change games.
06:00 You really turn up the pressure defensively.
06:02 So shots weren't falling for Ray early.
06:05 They weren't falling for Kerr.
06:06 So the pressure got turned up.
06:08 And late in that game, we forced overtime and ended up
06:13 with a two-minute overtime.
06:15 So we ended up playing 22 minutes.
06:16 But with a two-minute overtime, the white team,
06:20 which was Kerr and Ray and Jesse and that group,
06:24 ended up having a shot to win that didn't fall.
06:26 But it was a really competitive 20 minutes.
06:28 And it was really good for us in terms of growth.
06:30 It sounds like they need to play a lot of basketball.
06:32 As many times you can get them 5 on 5
06:34 because they didn't do it in the summertime.
06:37 Yeah, I mean, like I said--
06:39 You got to figure out as much as you can, right?
06:41 Yeah, we got to learn how each kid--
06:44 everybody has their own strengths, weaknesses.
06:46 And we got to figure out how we highlight those strengths
06:49 and then minimize those weaknesses.
06:52 What can you tell us about the Jose Perez situation?
06:58 The student privacy laws, I can't get into all that.
07:03 I'm proud of Jose for coming in here and finishing his degree.
07:07 He got his undergraduate degree here at West Virginia.
07:10 And certainly, that's a priority for student athletes
07:14 to get that degree.
07:15 So I'm really proud of the fact that he got that.
07:19 But I can't go any further than that.
07:23 How does it impact your depth?
07:26 I think he's going to empower a lot of guys.
07:30 There's a lot of guys on the roster that probably
07:34 felt like they were in the background, so to speak.
07:39 And now they see that they have a really good opportunity.
07:43 And those guys have done everything the right way.
07:45 So I think he's going to empower them,
07:47 give them the confidence to move forward,
07:49 and really help this program.
07:52 Coach, if you don't want me going on here,
07:53 that's a significant decision for you
07:55 that you could handle any number of ways.
07:57 Not critical at all.
07:58 I'm just curious what you thought about handling
08:01 really the first time where something like that's popped up
08:03 and you have to make a call.
08:06 Well, I mean, I'm in charge of this basketball program
08:11 and leading this basketball program.
08:12 So like I told all of our guys, I'm
08:14 going to do what's in the best interest of everybody
08:19 in the program, whether that be myself, the assistant coaches,
08:23 all those players that are looking at me for leadership.
08:27 I'm going to make the right decisions for the best
08:29 interest of everybody.
08:31 And that's the way I look at it.
08:34 Let me ask you this.
08:35 We'll make it hypothetical, but Jose
08:37 said that it involves study hall.
08:40 And I'm not going to ask you if that's what it involves or not.
08:43 But on a basis of setting up team rules and all that,
08:47 you got a kid who came to school,
08:48 you say you're proud he graduated,
08:50 he got his degree, if indeed study hall was involved
08:54 in that.
08:55 I mean, a 25-year-old guy who's got a degree,
08:58 does he have to go to study hall?
09:00 Not going to get into that.
09:02 I mean, I talked about the non-negotiables
09:06 in the first team meeting.
09:08 And there's a lot of non-negotiables.
09:09 And I wasn't going to compromise the integrity of the program
09:14 and the culture of the program.
09:16 So that's where I'm going to leave it.
09:18 We're moving forward.
09:19 We've got a great group of guys.
09:21 And everybody else in the roster are really
09:24 doing everything the right way.
09:25 And we're going to reward those guys.
09:26 And we're going to move forward.
09:28 Josiah Harris, is that a guy that could benefit from this?
09:30 100%.
09:32 And what an excellent kid with a great approach
09:37 and does everything the right way.
09:39 Comes into work every day.
09:40 I look at the stats there today.
09:42 I keep on talking about rebounding.
09:44 I mean, rebounding has been an issue.
09:45 I think JoJo got like eight rebounds in that 22 minutes.
09:50 So he understands where he can be effective for us.
09:54 And we want to keep empowering him and giving him
09:59 that confidence to keep coming in every day and helping us.
10:02 Any thoughts about Offrey?
10:03 I think I'm pronouncing it right.
10:05 And how you got on him and what you see.
10:08 Such a breath of fresh air as well.
10:10 I mean, there's a language barrier there for sure
10:12 to try to navigate in terms of teaching him.
10:15 But he's got such great instincts for the game.
10:19 And each and every day when we come out there,
10:22 I feel like Offrey's getting better.
10:24 And he's not trying to force anything.
10:28 He's just letting the game come to him.
10:30 But he does so many things for us.
10:32 When at first you looked at him, you're like, well,
10:35 this is a big, strong--
10:36 this is a man's league.
10:37 Is he going to be able to help us?
10:39 And we've really prioritized diet and nutrition
10:42 and the weight room with him.
10:44 And once he gets that strength, he's
10:47 going to be a force because he's got
10:49 a natural instinct for the game.
10:51 So he's going to--
10:52 I mean, at first you thought, well,
10:54 maybe he's not going to get very many minutes.
10:56 And we're going to develop him.
10:57 But we're looking at Offrey playing a significant role.
11:03 Deshaun was connected through some people.
11:06 Deshaun played overseas for a number of years in Israel.
11:10 And I think he had some connections there.
11:12 And people that he got to know reached out.
11:16 And we started looking at his film.
11:18 And he was very intriguing.
11:19 Now, I wish he'd had another 30 pounds of size to him
11:23 and mass to him when he showed up.
11:25 But we'll get there with him.
11:27 And we're excited to have him.
11:29 And Deshaun's been great with those connections
11:33 and bringing him in that filled a void that we needed to fill
11:37 right away in the summer.
11:39 You mentioned Jeremiah.
11:40 Do you have anyone who can kind of fill that KeeDee Johnson
11:43 role of being on ball defender like that
11:45 and kind of getting into someone's face up
11:48 and down the court?
11:49 Kobe's probably the guy.
11:52 You kind of got to stay on Kobe in terms
11:54 of being aggressive offensively.
11:57 Because you guys have watched him
11:59 over the course of several years that that wasn't his game.
12:04 His confidence is starting to skyrocket.
12:07 I think I talked about that last time we had a media session.
12:11 From last year to this year, he's probably by far
12:13 the most improved guy from a carryover standpoint.
12:17 And he's going to be the one that probably picks up
12:21 a lot of minutes as a backup point guard at this point,
12:26 mainly because Jeremiah is to a point
12:30 that we've still got to get him some reps
12:32 and figure out where he is.
12:36 When we start getting into those by games
12:37 and those non-conference games.
12:39 But when things get tough, we know
12:40 Kobe's got that experience to go out there and run the show.
12:44 And as a point guard, he's shown that experience.
12:46 Now back to the defensive end, he
12:48 is the guy with the length and athleticism
12:50 that can stay in front of someone.
12:52 Is he as quick twitch as KeeDee?
12:55 Probably not.
12:56 Probably not.
12:56 But if I had to go to someone to get a stop and lock someone
13:01 down, that's Kobe Johnson.
13:03 You mentioned concerned about rebounding.
13:07 Is this going to be maybe a deal where you value possessions?
13:11 Is it going to be one of those types of teams?
13:13 Or is that still to be determined?
13:15 Still to be determined.
13:16 I mean, we've got to throw ourselves out
13:19 against a real opponent.
13:20 You look at rebounding, and especially
13:22 in a closed scrimmage, how do you compare against yourself?
13:27 So we need to run up against somebody
13:29 and figure out whether rebounding is a legitimate
13:33 issue.
13:33 We certainly can try to foreshadow that being an issue
13:36 and drill it each and every day.
13:39 But we might come back from a closed scrimmage,
13:43 and heck, we're a lot better rebounding team
13:45 than we thought.
13:46 But we have this other issue that kind of pops up.
13:49 So at this point in time, especially in practice,
13:53 day seven, it'll start to wear down on you
13:57 because you don't know.
13:59 And then we build up and we play someone
14:01 on that weekend of the 14th and 15th.
14:03 So hopefully we'll have a much better judge of where we're at.
14:11 With the late start you got and with all the newcomers
14:14 you're throwing together, you're a long way
14:17 from what Kansas is going through right now
14:19 or some of the other teams in the league.
14:21 What's fair to expect of this team as it moves along?
14:27 I don't even think it's fair to really have
14:29 those conversations yet.
14:31 We certainly-- the ultimate goal is
14:36 to get to the NCAA tournament with the best possible seed.
14:39 And I had those guys get together and do their team
14:43 goals.
14:44 And so many times over the years I've
14:47 seen the lofty, lofty goals.
14:50 And nobody really put together the goals and the system
14:53 in place to get there.
14:54 So I told those guys, and I saw as leaders,
14:57 and I said, when you do that and you have those conversations,
15:01 put some systems in place.
15:03 Put some numbers in place in terms
15:05 of offensive efficiencies, turnovers,
15:08 how many you want to limit to or whatever those things are,
15:12 and try to maximize yourself as a team in terms
15:15 of your potential.
15:16 Now, don't just put these goals without the systems in place.
15:19 You have to put the smaller goals in place
15:22 to try to reach to maximize yourself
15:25 as a team and an organization.
15:27 Coach, you were talking about guys seeing an opportunity
15:30 with Jose being out.
15:33 Is it as simple as just plugging, saying, hey,
15:37 you get in?
15:38 Is there more to it than that?
15:40 I mean, there's got to be some kind of transition there
15:44 for guys, I would imagine.
15:47 Well, we're talking about Jose was here 10 months.
15:50 He never played.
15:50 So we're acting like we're filling a void that we had.
15:54 I mean, sure, he was on the roster
15:56 and we had every intention of him playing and being
15:59 a part of this program.
16:00 But everybody else was in the same boat.
16:03 I mean, everybody's-- there's a lot of talk out there
16:06 that he was the starter and this, that, and the other.
16:10 There was nothing to this point that I said or anybody said
16:14 and promised that he would be to that level.
16:18 We had a lot of guys competing with that.
16:20 So I'm not going to come in here from day one
16:22 and say pigeonhole someone into a position
16:26 that they haven't earned yet.
16:28 Another question that you're going
16:30 to have to answer until the decision's made,
16:32 but Raekwon, anything new?
16:34 You hear anything at all?
16:35 No, no, nothing, nothing yet.
16:37 So we're just patiently waiting.
16:39 And Raekwon's been-- certainly, it weighs heavy on everyone.
16:45 But it certainly weighs heavy on him.
16:47 And I have personal conversations with him
16:50 every day in terms of how to handle it and keep
16:53 your head on straight.
16:54 And he's just a special, special kid.
16:56 And I can't wait till you guys dig into his story
16:59 and get to know him because he's someone
17:02 that Mountaineer Nation can really gravitate towards
17:04 and adopt as one of their own.
17:07 And I think you'll all love him.
17:09 What does team chemistry mean to you?
17:12 And how do you evaluate--
17:13 I know basketball is such a small group.
17:15 You guys are together so much.
17:17 You travel.
17:18 You're in a confined space.
17:21 What does it mean to you?
17:22 How do you value chemistry?
17:24 Chemistry and culture is first and foremost.
17:27 I've seen some really, really good teams
17:30 and very, very talented teams over the years
17:32 that you wonder how the heck they lose them.
17:35 They're losing mainly because there's chemistry issues.
17:39 There's culture issues.
17:41 And then you look at the flip side of that.
17:43 You see a lot of teams that probably
17:46 don't have nearly the talent that they're
17:48 beating people because their chemistry and their culture.
17:52 And everybody's bought into the program.
17:55 Everybody's bought into the staff.
17:57 There's no arguments.
18:00 We go.
18:01 We're all in this together.
18:02 And we're going to pull through.
18:03 And we're all rowing in the same direction.
18:05 And that's where you're building a program.
18:08 That's where you got to get to from day one.
18:11 You got to build that trust.
18:12 You got to build that culture.
18:13 You got to build that up within the organization.
18:17 You got to put people in place to lead the team
18:20 and figure out who those people are.
18:22 And then you hope every day they come
18:24 into work with a great attitude.
18:25 And that's where we're at right now.
18:27 And I'm excited about the culture
18:28 and excited about the chemistry.
18:31 And sure, you guys probably have some questions
18:34 as to who our rotations are going to be
18:36 and what that's going to look like.
18:38 But I don't.
18:40 Next man up, we're going to figure out
18:42 who wants to be here and who wants to do things right.
18:45 And we're going to move forward.
18:46 How hard to put that chemistry together when the players are--
18:49 what are they, eight new ones and coaches are new?
18:52 And is it hard to develop that?
18:53 Yeah, I mean, one of the challenges is--
18:55 you know, I was--
18:57 that whole summer has been a complete challenge.
18:59 And starting with your roster is a challenge in itself.
19:04 And we talked about it before.
19:05 I mean, I have good relationships
19:07 with everybody on my staff.
19:10 And I do.
19:12 They haven't worked together before, though.
19:15 Alex and DJ worked together a little bit.
19:18 And as Alex was a GA last year, Jamar was an assistant.
19:21 But we're bringing in Jordan McCabe.
19:23 We're bringing in Dashaun Butler.
19:26 So building that staff chemistry is just as important.
19:30 And we meet every day.
19:31 And we go over everything together.
19:33 And we're always on the same page.
19:35 And we don't always agree.
19:37 But at the end of the day, we come to a conclusion.
19:39 And this is the way we move forward.
19:41 So sure, the staff chemistry is important.
19:43 The team chemistry is important.
19:45 And how we gel as a staff and as the athletes together,
19:50 I mean, that's important as well, just as important.
19:54 You mentioned the language barrier with Offrey.
19:56 How do you deal with that?
19:57 Do you have past experience with that at all?
20:00 I probably overplayed that.
20:01 I mean, he speaks good English.
20:03 But when you talk about from a basketball standpoint,
20:09 the barriers even exist within all the other players.
20:13 They might be three or four or five year guys that
20:16 played under different structures,
20:19 under different systems, under different coaches.
20:23 So not only is he coming in fresh and new,
20:28 he's also got the--
20:30 English is a second language.
20:32 He's learning as well.
20:33 So yeah, there's barriers.
20:35 And we're just trying to pull everything together.
20:37 He just has the extra barrier with English
20:40 being a second language.
20:41 But he speaks good English, and he's getting there.
20:43 And like I said, he's got great instinct, great basketball
20:47 instinct that it doesn't matter what language you're speaking.
20:52 If you have that, it certainly helps.
20:54 Josh, your Friday night event has some stuff
20:56 that a lot of schools don't do anymore,
20:58 dunk contest and things like that.
21:00 Why did you pick the format you picked?
21:04 I had some input, but not a whole lot.
21:06 I certainly wanted you guys to be able to--
21:09 the fans to be able to come out and see that.
21:12 I wanted to be more interactive.
21:13 I certainly said that.
21:17 They're going to play there at the end,
21:18 and it's going to be kind of non-structured.
21:20 But I wanted to be interactive where the fans could come out,
21:25 get to know the guys, get some autographs.
21:29 And it's going to be a great event.
21:32 Just I encourage all those fans to come out and get
21:36 their picture taken with the new guys, get to know them,
21:38 ask a couple of questions.
21:40 But it'll be fun.
21:41 We're going to do a three-point contest,
21:43 get some assistants involved.
21:44 And you might get to see Da'Shawn out there shooting
21:47 some balls.
21:47 And I'm sure those guys, once they hear,
21:51 they're going to be in the gym late at night
21:53 because they are pretty hardcore competitors.
21:57 But we've got great athletes as well, and let's showcase it.
22:01 Were you at the clubhouse on the dunk contest?
22:03 Do you have a--
22:05 I don't know.
22:06 You have to ask Vegas on that one.
22:07 I don't know.
22:11 You mentioned your offense kind of been a work in progress.
22:14 How's that coming along?
22:15 I kind of-- I had lofty goals on how fast we could put it in.
22:21 I would say from my standpoint in the bare bones,
22:24 I got about a third of it in.
22:27 But I'm not going to push too hard.
22:29 It's a long season.
22:31 It really is.
22:31 And I would rather them be locked in 100%
22:35 on what we're doing than to be looking around
22:38 with a bunch of questions because I've just kind
22:40 of crippled them with too much.
22:42 So I've kind of paused the last few days on adding too much.
22:46 And we've just been drilling it and drilling it
22:49 and drilling it five on 0.
22:51 So they're getting really good in terms of--
22:55 I would say--
22:56 I'll back up a little bit.
22:57 It's not really, really good crisp-wise where
23:00 I want it to be.
23:01 But the progress they're making has been very good.
23:04 I mean, I'm excited about that.
23:06 [INAUDIBLE]
23:07 Terminology, is it different?
23:09 It is.
23:10 It is.
23:10 I mean, you certainly-- you take that for granted sometimes
23:13 when you start using phrases because every coach uses
23:16 different phrases.
23:17 And so that's not lost on me.
23:20 Every once in a while, I'll just stop and say,
23:22 you understand what we're talking about.
23:24 This is a smash cut.
23:25 It might be called something else in a different program.
23:28 But this is how we--
23:31 the terminology we use here.
23:33 And we're on the same page in terms of our assistants.
23:36 And we just got to figure out that sometimes you
23:39 see some question marks floating through people's heads.
23:41 And you got to slow down and just teach a little bit.
23:44 Coach, you were talking about Josiah earlier.
23:46 And I had a chance to ask you about this earlier.
23:49 But he's still on track to graduate in December, right?
23:54 He's been here, what, a year and a half?
23:56 Yeah.
23:57 So what kind of kid is he that enables him to graduate
24:02 in a year and a half?
24:03 No, I brought it up the other day with him.
24:05 We were getting some food.
24:06 And I said something about classes
24:09 and how things are going.
24:11 And just every time I talk to him,
24:15 it's an incredible story in terms
24:16 of how he can graduate that quickly being
24:19 a sophomore in college.
24:22 And he looked at me.
24:23 He said, you know, they're paying for it.
24:26 Why wouldn't I take as many classes as I can?
24:28 And you just don't hear that from college athletes anymore.
24:33 He's taking advantage of what's put in front of him.
24:36 While someone's paying for it, he's
24:37 going to take as many classes as possible
24:39 and get the best possible education.
24:41 And that's a beautiful thing.
24:42 And it's refreshing to hear in 2023.
24:46 So I hope he comes out of here with two really good degrees
24:50 and maybe even an emphasis somewhere else
24:54 on one of the degrees.
24:56 So he's taking advantage of it.
24:58 And he does everything the right way.
25:00 And we're excited to have Josiah Harris.
25:03 And I think Mountaineer Nation can hang their head
25:06 on people like that and the way in which they
25:09 conduct their business.
25:10 Has he thought about academically
25:12 what he'll do after December?
25:14 I mean, with graduates?
25:15 I'll wait for him to decide all that.
25:17 And he'll be up here on this podium.
25:19 And you can grill him in terms of what that looks like.
25:24 He graduates as a sophomore.
25:25 He may take every class offered here.
25:27 He might.
25:27 He might, and more power to him.