Akok Akok’s return was overshadowed by WVU’s 80-63 loss to Pitt on Wednesday night, but it was a big step forward for the fifth-year forward after he collapsed on the floor against George Mason on Oct. 27.
“He gave us a defensive spark. That’s kind of his forte. He’s a guy you can do a lot more things especially in ball screen coverage, you can switch with him, he can sit down and guard guards, he can help us protect the rim, he’s active, he really runs the floor well. I think we can utilize him in offensive transition. You can see out there he is limited because he hadn’t been cleared but for three or four days,” Eilert said.
“So certainly, he’s not in game shape yet. Seven minutes, eight minutes is proably top for him at this point right now. That’s going to continue to improve but we certainly don’t want to force the issue with him to make sure we’re doing right by him and that’s first and foremost.”
Akok finished the night playing 7:36, going 0 for 2 from the floor with two rebounds, and two blocks.
“Ultimately it was a day-by-day situation. Any hiccup in game preparation, in practice, would have certainly hindered that,” Eilert said.
“Did I know for sure he was going to be going today, no. Leading into it, he had a solid two-three days of practice and that’s limited as well, to figure out where he’s at. We got to a point where we thought we could use him for a limited amount of time, we’re going to use him.”
Eilert did not get into specifics of who cleared Akok and when, but he said he’s happy Akok gets to have basketball back in his life.
“We’re so happy for the kid. So much of these guys’ life is built around the game of basketball,” Eilert said. “The fear of him losing basketball is crushing. It’s crushing.”
West Virginia forward Quinn Slazinski shared a similar message to Eilert’s of Akok being able to get back to doing what he loves.
“I love that kid. He’s been through so much and I’m just so, so, happy for him. Obviously this one’s going to hurt, this game, but looking back I’m so happy Akok could came in and do what he loves,” Slazinski said.
