-- Firstly, Eilert wants to congratulate the men's soccer team for reaching the College Cup and he's excited for what's next for them and he hopes they can beat Clemson. He also wanted to congratulate the women's basketball team led by Mark Kellogg for their big win over ranked Penn State yesterday and he says they play hard and he admires how hard they play.
-- He said they started practice yesterday and started the scout on Pitt early and they've had a competitive two days of practice with different groups being put on the floor. He says he's excited for the Backyard Brawl and what it means to the fans and this state and he's knows they'll come ready to go.
-- He says Pitt has heavy guard play between their main two of their main three scorers. They're not a team that's going to pound it down low and they play on the perimeter with their guards. Eilert says they rebound extremely well and have a talented roster with great players. He says Pitt is a more perimeter shooting team rather than St. John's and they will shoot jump shots and dribble drive.
-- Eilert reiterates that their game is a game of inches and their margin of error is very thin. He says that every Pitt vs. WVU game is a battle and a "knockdown, drag-out."
-- He says that the roster management keeps him up at night and it's something he always thinks about and how to manager lineups and minutes with fatigue in the second half. He says they can't take plays off and they must battle every time they're on the floor. He says he wants to play much more aggressively defensively but he doesn't want to get into another fouling match. He says every day is a little different at the head coach spot and he said they're trying to figure out how to put themselves in a position to win games.
-- He says 3-4 and their NET ranking doesn't sit right with him, his staff and the players. He wants this to be rock bottom for his team and they just need to stay the course. He says they've got help coming and hopefully they can look back at this moment and see that this was rock bottom. They're working to continue to improve every day right now.
-- After St. John's film and the things they could clean up and it's the first thing they talked about when starting film. Eilert made sure everyone went to the Pitt football game in the fall so they could feel the energy and the passion behind the fanbase. He says that his staff has competed in it so they understand the brawl and the players understand that. He also says that practice intensity has been turned up a notch and he had to build the chemistry for the top five or six players and this was an approach he took.
-- Eilert says they're looking to add a big or a shooting guard in a perfect world. He says if the opportunity presents itself then they'll pursue it. He says that they can locate someone who can help you and it's not necessarily someone in the portal, but it could be a postgraduate player or a number of possibilities. Each situation is different with each player and they have to evaluate on a case-by-case basis. He says he's not going to add a player unless he feels it can help them this season and past this season. He says the slam dunk player is almost impossible at this point and it's a matter of can he help or can he not.
-- He says Pitt is coming into this game with two losses and a bad taste and they've also got a bad taste in their mouth. He says it'll come down to who wants it more and for him it better be West Virginia. He fully anticipates them extending an agreement for the rivalry since conversations are being had.
-- With Kerr Kriisa coming back, he's a magician in terms of reading defenses. They've built the offense around a point guard like Kerr and having him out there is a game changer. He says it's great to have two ball handlers with Kobe Johnson and he's been a masterful defender, but they could kick him off the ball some and allow him to work there.
-- He says Akok Akok's status is trending in a positive direction and it's up to the medical staff at this point, but Eilert expects to hear something more in the coming weeks.
-- He said they started practice yesterday and started the scout on Pitt early and they've had a competitive two days of practice with different groups being put on the floor. He says he's excited for the Backyard Brawl and what it means to the fans and this state and he's knows they'll come ready to go.
-- He says Pitt has heavy guard play between their main two of their main three scorers. They're not a team that's going to pound it down low and they play on the perimeter with their guards. Eilert says they rebound extremely well and have a talented roster with great players. He says Pitt is a more perimeter shooting team rather than St. John's and they will shoot jump shots and dribble drive.
-- Eilert reiterates that their game is a game of inches and their margin of error is very thin. He says that every Pitt vs. WVU game is a battle and a "knockdown, drag-out."
-- He says that the roster management keeps him up at night and it's something he always thinks about and how to manager lineups and minutes with fatigue in the second half. He says they can't take plays off and they must battle every time they're on the floor. He says he wants to play much more aggressively defensively but he doesn't want to get into another fouling match. He says every day is a little different at the head coach spot and he said they're trying to figure out how to put themselves in a position to win games.
-- He says 3-4 and their NET ranking doesn't sit right with him, his staff and the players. He wants this to be rock bottom for his team and they just need to stay the course. He says they've got help coming and hopefully they can look back at this moment and see that this was rock bottom. They're working to continue to improve every day right now.
-- After St. John's film and the things they could clean up and it's the first thing they talked about when starting film. Eilert made sure everyone went to the Pitt football game in the fall so they could feel the energy and the passion behind the fanbase. He says that his staff has competed in it so they understand the brawl and the players understand that. He also says that practice intensity has been turned up a notch and he had to build the chemistry for the top five or six players and this was an approach he took.
-- Eilert says they're looking to add a big or a shooting guard in a perfect world. He says if the opportunity presents itself then they'll pursue it. He says that they can locate someone who can help you and it's not necessarily someone in the portal, but it could be a postgraduate player or a number of possibilities. Each situation is different with each player and they have to evaluate on a case-by-case basis. He says he's not going to add a player unless he feels it can help them this season and past this season. He says the slam dunk player is almost impossible at this point and it's a matter of can he help or can he not.
-- He says Pitt is coming into this game with two losses and a bad taste and they've also got a bad taste in their mouth. He says it'll come down to who wants it more and for him it better be West Virginia. He fully anticipates them extending an agreement for the rivalry since conversations are being had.
-- With Kerr Kriisa coming back, he's a magician in terms of reading defenses. They've built the offense around a point guard like Kerr and having him out there is a game changer. He says it's great to have two ball handlers with Kobe Johnson and he's been a masterful defender, but they could kick him off the ball some and allow him to work there.
-- He says Akok Akok's status is trending in a positive direction and it's up to the medical staff at this point, but Eilert expects to hear something more in the coming weeks.
