NCAA Denies Jose Perez Waiver to Play for West Virginia
The NCAA denied the transfer waiver for Jose Perez, meaning the Manhattan transfer cannot play for the West Virginia Mountaineers this season.
Perez was one of several players who left the Manhattan program after the Jaspers changed head coaches just a couple of weeks before the season. Steve Masiello left after 11 years and was replaced on an interim basis by RaShawn Stores.
Perez landed at West Virginia just before the start of the season and the Mountaineers immediately applied for a waiver in the hope that the 6-foot-5 guard would be allowed to play this season.
“We are disappointed by the news that we received this afternoon from the NCAA,” West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins said. “All of Mountaineer Basketball is hurting for Jose. We plan to appeal this decision.”
Even though he can’t play, he can start practicing for the Mountaineers today.
It’s unclear whether an appeal with make a difference or if the NCAA will expedite it.
Perez was named the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year and was coming off a 2021-22 in which he averaged 18.9 points and 4.5 rebounds. That would make him the highest-scoring player on the Mountaineers, based on past experience at other programs.
Perez is a fifth-year senior something that makes the waiver a bit more pressing, unless he has a COVID waiver he hasn’t used yet.
West Virginia has shot out of the gate to an 8-2 start this season, with its only losses coming to then No. 24 Purdue — which is now the No. 1 team in the country — and Xavier. The Mountaineers have two games remaining this year against Buffalo on Sunday and Stony Brook on Thursday, both in Morgantown.
The Mountaineers open Big 12 play at Kansas State on Dec. 31.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
