What Did Josh Eilert Say to RaeQuan Battle After His Ejection?
Tuesday night was a frustrating one for West Virginia, as the Mountaineers dropped another game in Big 12 play, this time a 72-59 loss to UCF.
It was a dominant performance for the Knights, as they jumped out to an 8-0 lead out of the gate and led 37-24 at the half. In the final 20 minutes, UCF built its lead up to 21 just after the 11-minute mark, with the score sitting at 55-34 with 10:41 left.
It was just before this moment that WVU guard RaeQuan Battle’s night came to an end after receiving a double technical foul, leading to his ejection.
Battle, who averaged a team-high 19.5 points per game coming into the game, finished the night going just 2-6 from the field for five points.
Head basketball coach Josh Eilert made it a point to grab Battle and give him a hug and some words of encouragement before he left the court for the night. During his postgame interview, Eilert revealed what he said to the senior guard.
“He was frustrated, and I understand his frustration, but he handled it the wrong way and he knows it,” Eilert said. “He popped off a couple of times and it warranted what they gave him. It’s a teaching moment. I gave him a hug. I told him I love him and said we’ve got to fix this.”
Eilert said that a lack of calls in Battle’s favor when trying to draw contact led to his frustration, but doubled down on it being a teaching moment.
“Sometimes he’s trying to do too much and trying to draw contact and he’s not getting those calls and he’s not getting those calls and that’s probably what the officials saw,” Eilert said. “He popped off on them so I wanted to use that moment to do a little teaching and a little life lesson so I had that moment with him and he went off the floor with his head held high.”
