Picture courtesy of BlueandGoldNews.com. The WVU Mountaineers fell 89-55 to No. Three Houston on Saturday. The workforce appears to be like to bounce again towards Kansas State on the Coliseum in Morgantown at the moment at 7:00 p.m.
MORGANTOWN — What West Virginia basketball coach Josh Eilert is in search of now with the ever-evolving Mountaineers is a shortcut that does not exist to having chemistry on the ground.
Oddly sufficient, if one desires to take a look at an promoting slogan from an organization to seize the essence of what it’s saying, one would flip to the Dupont Firm, which in its early years talked about “Higher issues for higher residing by means of chemistry.”
The slogan over time has been diminished to “Reside higher by means of chemistry” and that, certainly, is Eilert’s final purpose with this 2023-24 basketball workforce that has spent its complete existence including a participant right here, dropping one there, bringing one by means of the switch pool whereas one other travels towards reverse by means of the identical portal. .
Chemistry comes by means of two issues in sports activities or enterprise. It takes time and continuity, and Eilert hasn’t had both since being named interim coach rather than Bob Huggins.
It’s attention-grabbing to notice, nevertheless, that the WVU basketball workforce and Dupont are related in a single respect. The Mountaineers are an explosive workforce on the sphere, whereas Dupont, of Wilmington, Del., was the world’s largest provider of TNT in its early days, producing greater than a billion kilos of TNT in its first 35 years.
The groups’ capability to develop chemistry has confronted impediment after impediment, and final sport, that 89-55 upset at No. Three Houston threatens to blow away what little chemistry they have been capable of construct to this point.
Eilert is aware of that and has used that method together with his workforce, which welcomes Kansas State to the Coliseum at 7 p.m. tonight, in preparation for that sport.
“I advised the blokes on this league it will probably eat you alive in the event you maintain on to issues” Eilert stated. “This league is a bear and it’s a must to chip away at it and work out what you are able to do to enhance and switch the web page as a result of it will be battle after battle after battle.
Eilert famous that it is a completely different age with the visitors of gamers from one workforce and one league to a different in faculty basketball, however usually you’ve gotten your workforce once you get to preseason follow and you’ll work not on video games however on formulation. success.
You construct a bond, a brotherhood, and whereas historically some freshmen got here in and possibly a switch or two, this 12 months the Mountaineers had a brand new coach and solely 4 gamers remaining, none of them starters from a season in the past.
They lined up various transfers, however NCAA guidelines challenged their eligibility and it wasn’t till the 10th sport that they obtained three again … whereas dropping their key man in Jesse Edwards.
“It is not misplaced on me” Eilert stated. “I knew chemistry was going to be a difficulty. It is one thing we work by means of each day.”
Even the day in Houston when the roof collapsed on them.
“We had a giant loss in Houston towards an excellent workforce,” Eilert stated.
It was the sort of factor that may destroy a workforce, however Eilert desires to ensure it does not occur.
“We will not lose sight of one another, we won’t lose belief in one another.” he stated. “We now have to stand up, placed on our boots and go to work.”
This Kansas State workforce each final 12 months and this 12 months beneath Jerome Tang did it with transfers and freshmen, however with out the chaos Eilert needed to undergo constructing his roster. He was 11-Three coming into the sport and had sufficient chemistry to flee 4 extra time wins…and never towards the opposition.
They defeated Oral Roberts, 88-78, Huge East groups Windfall, 73-70, and Villanova, 72-71, then LSU, 75-60.
It was nearly like they obtained extra time with their NIL offers.
“He picked up a variety of expertise final 12 months and is doing the identical this 12 months.” Eilert stated of Tang. “It is not as sturdy a workforce as final 12 months, however it’s actually resilient.”
The match will be watched on ESPN+.