-- Josh started with a homage to the late coach Bob Knight. He admired his coaching philosophy on discipline. Wants to send condolences to his family,
-- They're on practice 28 and they're excited, it's here. He said they might be short handed but they've got guys they can count on and go to bat with. He said he feels the support and that the fans are buying in and West Virginia operates with chip on their shoulder. He says the team has its challenges. They are not victims, they have opportunity and they'll step up and take advantage. They're excited with the 'Mountaineer Nation' backing them.
-- MIssouri State is a good opponent, 17 wins last year and they have some good pieces. They do some disruptive things defensively. Not a lot of film on them but they have film on WVU and Eilert will have to look back at last year. During the George Mason game, he said they did some good things but faced some adversity. Eilert said the team showed a lot of 'resolve' with things not going their way and lots of different variables. Eilert says the guys came together to win the game.
-- Akok Akok is being monitored daily by medical staff and they'll work with him every day to figure out what the next step is. He doesn't have any updates as of right now but he's in high spirits. He didn't get a clear picture of what happened to Akok and the tests are still being looked at.
-- Eilert says they are as low as they can get with bad luck but the adversity creates an opportunity. It looks like everything is against them but maybe the tides will change. Today, Eilert wants to focus on preparation for Monday. His opportunity is to lead the players and put them in the best situation. Eilert says that he could hang his ehqd everyday but that would be no good, there are people dealing with a lot worse things than what he's dealt with on the court. He wants to control what he can control.
-- Quinn Slazinski and Kobe Johnson will be slotting into the starting lineup for Monday's game to replace Akok and Kriisa. Eilert is excited about Kobe Johnson. Seth Wilson can help at point guard as well and they've simulated some of that in practice.
-- Eilert knows they'll have to be more conservative with a lack of depth due to potential foul trouble and some officiating rules changes.
-- WVU will certainly consider going into zone defense and they simulate it in practice. He wouldn't hesitate if he had to. In an exhibition game you don't want to show your cards but you need to win. It's an advantage for Missouri State to see what WVU did vs. George Mason. The defense needs to continue to grow and get stops and they were only able to get two to three stops.
-- Eilert is confident in Kobe Johnson and he'll take less calculated risks. He doesn't expect Johnson to have the ball in his hand as much as Kriisa. Eilert says Kobe's length as a defender and his skill there is a step up. It's a give and take but more importantly with a lack of depth. It could be a more efficient practice with 10-11 people practicing and that hasn't been a problem.
-- Johnson's confidence levels are way higher than last year and Eilert has always believed in Johnson since they keep on grinding and showing up every day.
-- From Jesse Edwards, Eilert didn't want to force the issue and wanted to make it more natural. He would like to see him be more aggressive on rebounds and he left some out there. It put some pressure on the team's defensive rebounding, so everyone has to rebound and finish possessions. Coaching is all about playing to your personnel but they're figuring out a new rotation.
-- Eilert isn't worried about Arizona's statement but his message is that they're not victims and they're going to own what happened. EIlert tells Kriisa to own his mistakes and he can do a lot of good by mentoring others and leading. The team is not hanging their head and they're ready to move forward regardless. Kriisa's issue is not something that happened on WVU's watch but they're dealing with the aftermath now.
-- They're on practice 28 and they're excited, it's here. He said they might be short handed but they've got guys they can count on and go to bat with. He said he feels the support and that the fans are buying in and West Virginia operates with chip on their shoulder. He says the team has its challenges. They are not victims, they have opportunity and they'll step up and take advantage. They're excited with the 'Mountaineer Nation' backing them.
-- MIssouri State is a good opponent, 17 wins last year and they have some good pieces. They do some disruptive things defensively. Not a lot of film on them but they have film on WVU and Eilert will have to look back at last year. During the George Mason game, he said they did some good things but faced some adversity. Eilert said the team showed a lot of 'resolve' with things not going their way and lots of different variables. Eilert says the guys came together to win the game.
-- Akok Akok is being monitored daily by medical staff and they'll work with him every day to figure out what the next step is. He doesn't have any updates as of right now but he's in high spirits. He didn't get a clear picture of what happened to Akok and the tests are still being looked at.
-- Eilert says they are as low as they can get with bad luck but the adversity creates an opportunity. It looks like everything is against them but maybe the tides will change. Today, Eilert wants to focus on preparation for Monday. His opportunity is to lead the players and put them in the best situation. Eilert says that he could hang his ehqd everyday but that would be no good, there are people dealing with a lot worse things than what he's dealt with on the court. He wants to control what he can control.
-- Quinn Slazinski and Kobe Johnson will be slotting into the starting lineup for Monday's game to replace Akok and Kriisa. Eilert is excited about Kobe Johnson. Seth Wilson can help at point guard as well and they've simulated some of that in practice.
-- Eilert knows they'll have to be more conservative with a lack of depth due to potential foul trouble and some officiating rules changes.
-- WVU will certainly consider going into zone defense and they simulate it in practice. He wouldn't hesitate if he had to. In an exhibition game you don't want to show your cards but you need to win. It's an advantage for Missouri State to see what WVU did vs. George Mason. The defense needs to continue to grow and get stops and they were only able to get two to three stops.
-- Eilert is confident in Kobe Johnson and he'll take less calculated risks. He doesn't expect Johnson to have the ball in his hand as much as Kriisa. Eilert says Kobe's length as a defender and his skill there is a step up. It's a give and take but more importantly with a lack of depth. It could be a more efficient practice with 10-11 people practicing and that hasn't been a problem.
-- Johnson's confidence levels are way higher than last year and Eilert has always believed in Johnson since they keep on grinding and showing up every day.
-- From Jesse Edwards, Eilert didn't want to force the issue and wanted to make it more natural. He would like to see him be more aggressive on rebounds and he left some out there. It put some pressure on the team's defensive rebounding, so everyone has to rebound and finish possessions. Coaching is all about playing to your personnel but they're figuring out a new rotation.
-- Eilert isn't worried about Arizona's statement but his message is that they're not victims and they're going to own what happened. EIlert tells Kriisa to own his mistakes and he can do a lot of good by mentoring others and leading. The team is not hanging their head and they're ready to move forward regardless. Kriisa's issue is not something that happened on WVU's watch but they're dealing with the aftermath now.
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