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Perez: “I’ll be back for the ’23-24 season”

WVU men's basketball transfer Jose Perez at the Mountaineers' game against Navy in 2022. (Photo: Sam Coniglio/Gold and Blue Nation)

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Jose Perez has set the record straight about his future with WVU hoops.

The senior guard, who transferred from Manhattan but was deemed ineligible last season, will return to play for the Mountaineers next season.

“I’ll be back for the ’23-24 season,” he said in a video posted to Twitter.

After Steve Masiello was fired as the head coach at Manhattan in late October, Perez transferred to WVU and began practicing with the team in November. But, the NCAA denied his waiver for immediate eligibility in December, and a subsequent appeal by the team was rejected in January.

Though Perez was not permitted to play in games last season, he did participate in practices with the team.

The spring is a transitional period for all basketball programs in terms of roster construction for next season. Multiple reserve players from WVU’s 2022-23 roster have already entered the transfer portal, and it’s possible that some other players could pursue the NBA Draft process or other professional opportunities.

But Perez’s announcement provides some clarity at guard for head coach Bob Huggins and his staff. While 2022-23 starter Kedrian Johnson is out of eligibility, the 6-foot-5 Perez is locked in for next season. If Joe Toussaint were to also return to WVU for his final year of eligibility, Huggins would have two veteran guards at his disposal who have practiced in his system — and in Toussaint’s case, played — for one year.

Perez gave a shoutout to WVU fans during his video announcement.

“I wanna thank the fans and everybody at West Virginia University for all the love and support. It was all felt,” Perez said. “It definitely made me get up every morning to be better.”

As a junior at Manhattan, Perez averaged 18.9 points per game and 4.5 assists per game.