MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Since his hiring earlier this week, interim men's basketball coach Josh Eilert has had a lot on his plate.
 
Roster retention, of course, has been first and foremost among his concerns. Forward Tre Mitchell has already opted to transfer to Kentucky, while forwards Mohamed Wague and James Okonkwo, as well as guard Joe Toussaint, are currently considering other schools.
 
Getting a handle on his 2023-24 roster is Eilert's major priority before his team's scheduled tour of Italy later this summer.
 
"These are 18- to 23-year-olds, and there is a lot of uncertainty in their life right now," he explained on Monday. "There are a lot of options in their life, and the biggest message I have, and our staff has, is we care about them. We want to reassure them that this is a great place for them. And it is a great place for them."
 
Another significant decision for Eilert is the composition of his coaching staff, and he's got a good sounding board to utilize – Wren Baker. 
 
That's right, Wren Baker, West Virginia's vice president and director of athletics. Just like Red Brown, who hired Fred Schaus, George King and Bucky Waters and Leland Byrd, who hired Gale Catlett and Ed Pastilong, who hired John Beilein and Bob Huggins, Baker has head coaching experience in his professional background.
 
Don't think for a minute Baker's time spent working on Hall of Fame coach Eddie Sutton's Oklahoma State staff doesn't bring value to West Virginia's current situation. It does. 
 
Don't think for a minute Baker's time as head basketball coach at Division II Rogers State doesn't bring value. It does.
 
And don't think for a minute chairing the NIT selection committee doesn't bring value. It does. A lot. Any answer Wren doesn't already know is just a phone call away.
 
It takes a coach to understand the enormous pressure, time constraints and demands coaches are under today. On-court coaching is only one of many responsibilities college basketball coaches have.
 
"As most of you know, I coached earlier in my career and a lot of my closest friends are coaches," Baker noted. "A couple of them called me and said, 'Just so you know, there are people all over the country trying to get to your kids right now.' And I knew that, but to hear that validated from some of my friends in the coaching business makes this a different place and time.
 
"But I wasn't going to let that in and of itself direct my (decision-making) process," Baker added. "Our fans and people close to this program deserve more than that."
 
Baker's extensive knowledge and experience in basketball have led him to consider hiring a senior advisor to help Eilert navigate the unexpected things that are going to pop up this year as a first-time coach.
 
"It's a hard job," the AD admitted. "I think for everybody who transitions into a head coaching job the first time they are always shocked at how little it's about coaching. It's really about management and leadership, and it's a different job. If we can get him surrounded by a support system to help him, then I think that helps give him his best chance for success."
 
Eilert will be the first to admit he doesn't have all the answers.
 
"I'm not going to sit here and say I know all of the answers right now, but I'm certainly going to put people around me that can help me make good decisions," he said.
 
"Wren and I have met a couple times about this, and we are going to take a look at everybody in the program and their role and figure out where we can do things better and how we can do things more efficiently," Eilert continued. "But we've also got some really good people in our program. I want to bring that out of them, so I'm going to evaluate everyone on our staff and figure out how they can fit in and then we'll go from there.
 
"There are no promises, but we've got really good people in place and as much as possible, I'd like to retain them."
 
Eilert said his long-term goal was always to one day become a head coach.
 
"I've had opportunities to step out and do other things, and I think the synergy of the whole matter … if you show loyalty and you show patience it's always going to work out for you," he explained. "I never felt the need to uproot my wife and my kids if I didn't need to.
 
"In this business, let's be honest, it's unheard of to be in one place for 16 years. I think it's a lesson to a lot of people just to stay true to the people who have been true to you."
 
Speaking of lessons, Baker has already become well-acquainted with the extensive history and tradition of Mountaineer basketball, despite being on the job for only seven months. Phone conversations with trusted colleagues in the profession last week cemented his understanding of what this program means throughout college basketball.
 
"Everybody I know who is fully engaged said this is a great job with almost unrivaled fan passion, affinity and loyalty across the state," he explained. "The resources here are great. The practice facility is tremendous. The Coliseum is one of those special places … I mean, if you look on KenPom, one of the best home-court advantages in the country is right here in the Coliseum."
 
Baker continued.
 
"Most of us inside our industry don't get too high or too low, and what's happened in the last couple of months have certainly been a time of turmoil, but it's still a special program with special support, and I think it's time for our fans to rally around these guys and help this team have as much success as they can possibly have," he said.
 
Baker joked that his coaching expertise is still available.
 
"I'm waiting on my offer to return to coaching," he chuckled.