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Josh Eilert has a new team to lead the West Virginia men’s basketball program. The interim head coach announced his staff for the 2023-24 season on Saturday, featuring four former players or people with ties to Morgantown.
Eilert, who replaced Bob Huggins after his retirement in June, said he wanted to surround himself with people who knew the culture and history of WVU basketball and could help him attract and develop top talent.
The new assistant coaches are Da’Sean Butler, DerMarr Johnson, Jordan McCabe, and Alex Ruoff. All of them have some connection to WVU or Eilert.
The coaching ensemble at West Virginia extracted a strong reaction from basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb, who dubbed it the "best hoopin staff in America."
Josh Eilert announces new WVU basketball staff, featuring former stars Butler, Johnson, McCabe and Ruoff
Da’Sean Butler is the program’s all-time leader in wins and third in scoring, as well as a member of the school’s Sports Hall of Fame. He spent last season as an assistant video coordinator with the New York Knicks after serving as a graduate assistant for WVU in 2012-13.
"We are thrilled to welcome Da'Sean back to Mountaineer basketball," Josh Eilert said. "He's a Mountaineer legend who is just a great human being. Da'Sean has NBA connections and is such a personable guy; he will fit in our program extremely well."
DerMarr Johnson is a former Cincinnati star who played under Huggins and Eilert at UC. He joined WVU in January as an assistant coach and will continue in that role. Johnson has also played 11 seasons in the NBA and overseas.
Jordan McCabe is the most recent player on the staff, having transferred from WVU to UNLV after the 2020-21 season. He played three seasons for the Mountaineers, averaging 3.7 points and 1.8 assists in 94 games.
Alex Ruoff is the program’s all-time leader in three-pointers made and attempted, as well as a nine-year pro in Europe. He returned to Morgantown last season as a graduate assistant and will now be promoted to a full-time assistant coach.
"The rest of the staff is invaluable to our program," Josh Eilert said. "They work many, many hours behind the scenes and all make vital contributions to our team's success."
Ron Everhart, who has been an assistant coach for the past six seasons, will take on a new role as the director of community relations and player outreach.
He will be joined by Jay Kuntz, the director of player personnel/recruiting; Trent Michaels, the director of men’s basketball operations; Jared Kortsen, the video and scouting coordinator; and Tyler Cheng, the athletic data statistician for men’s basketball.
The Mountaineers are coming off a 19-15 season that ended with a loss to Maryland in the NCAA tournament. The new staff will make their debut on November 6 when WVU hosts Missouri at the WVU Coliseum.
