Josh Eilert Shares Strong Message Of Appreciation To This Utah Men’s Basketball Squad
Apr 1, 2025, 2:27 PM
Mar 8, 2025; Provo, Utah, USA; Utah Utes interim head coach Josh Eilert looks on during the first half against the Brigham Young Cougars at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
SALT LAKE CITY—With the Utah men’s basketball season officially over, interim head coach Josh Eilert shared his appreciation for this squad.
This was a unique season, to say the least, for Utah. Seven new coaches and 10 new players were on this year’s squad. The university transitioned to a new conference and one of the toughest men’s basketball leagues in the country.
Then, with only three weeks remaining on the schedule, Utah decided to change leadership.
At the same time, Alex Jensen was hired to lead the program, and the future looks as promising as it has been in quite some time. His first two staff additions, Raphael Chillious, and Wes Wilcox, only improve the outlook.
However, this year’s squad still had games to play to finish the season, and they did so without much fuss. They were professional about it and handled their business accordingly.
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Josh Eilert’s appreciation of this Utah men’s basketball squad
Interim head coach Josh Eilert has been an important figure during this process. His ability to step up into the role of head coach and lead these young men has been vital.
On Tuesday, Eilert shared a message with the squad that allowed him to lead the way over the final weeks of the season.
“To the guys of this year’s Utah men’s basketball team, I told you last night and throughout this whole last month that I was proud of how you all chose to handle yourselves through this process. I meant it! It wasn’t what you signed up for, or any of us for that matter, but rarely does life play out the way we expect. I can attest to that.
Never did I expect my initial head coaching experience to come from two entirely different interim positions in back-to-back seasons, but these kinds of challenges and adversity should never be shied away from. You have to pivot and adjust, adapt, or perish. Someone is always watching how you handle yourself. Never forget that. While not ideal, you respected the game, and I have no doubt it will respect you back and benefit each and every one of you.
Thank you to Coach Jensen for allowing us the space to do what we needed to do to continue to compete and have closure as a team. These situations can be complicated and wrought with challenges. It wasn’t how we saw things going, but out of respect to this game, this team, and coach Craig Smith, who built this team, we pressed on with as much fight as we had.
I, for one, am incredibly proud of how these men handled themselves. As I tell my own children, befriend the problems in your life; these situations are specifically designed for those who can see adversity as a possibility. And as for me and the family, in the words of my friend Charles Wesley Godwin, “We don’t mind the shit folks talk. We’re just keeping our eyes locked, they can watch us chase those dreams they never even dared.”
On to wherever God needs us next.”
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To the guys of this year’s @UtahMBB team, I told you last night and throughout this whole last month that I was proud of how you all chose to handle yourselves through this process. I meant it! It wasn’t what you signed up for, or any of us for that matter, but rarely does life… pic.twitter.com/uy0iMKDh21
— Josh Eilert (@josheilert) April 1, 2025
Utah players remained focused on what matters most
Despite the way the season ended, this group continued to play hard. They remained focused on the most important thing they could, themselves.
“It’s been hard since coach Smith’s departure, but we’ve all come together, staff and players, and nothing changed,” Jake Wahlin said. “We knew that we had to do it together, that we couldn’t splinter, and it was all up to us.”
This group had every reason to fall apart. Yet, they continued to work together and try to finish the season the right way. These players deserve a ton of credit for how they’ve handled the last month of the season.
And with everything in college athletics revolving increasingly around NIL money, Keanu Dawes’ response to a question about the reward of winning the College Basketball Crown tournament was refreshing.
“Honestly, I don’t know, I feel kind of 50/50 about (the NIL purse) because the money’s great, but at the same time, it kind of takes away from the main goal, which is to win an NCAA championship,” Keanu Dawes said of the NIL opportunity at the tournament.
RELATED: Utah Basketball Hosted Transfer Portal Visitors
UP NEXT – The offseason
This is a big one for Utah, who awaits the official start of the Alex Jensen era as he finishes his time with the Dallas Mavericks.
However, Raphael Chillious and Wes Wilcox will lead the program’s recruiting efforts, which additional staff hires will bolster.
Jensen has plenty of work to do to finalize his staff and start piecing together the 2025-26 roster. Utah has already welcomed a few transfer portal visitors and will be active in bringing others in for visits over the coming weeks and months.
