Manhattan transfer guard Jose Perez will not be suiting up for the WVU men’s basketball team this season.
The school announced Wednesday that the NCAA Committee for Legislative Relief had denied WVU’s appeal for Perez’s immediate eligibility.
The ruling by the seven-member board is final.
The news hit just prior to the start of West Virginia’s 83-78 loss against Baylor.
Perez transferred to WVU on Oct. 30, just five days after Manhattan fired head coach Steve Masiello, who is now part of Rick Pitino’s staff at Iona.
Perez had already used his one-time transfer waiver allowed by the NCAA last season when he transferred to Manhattan from Marquette.
He also received a waiver to play for Marquette for the 2020-21 season after transferring from Gardner-Webb, where he began his college career in 2018.
WVU is Perez’s fourth school and he joined the roster officially as a walk-on with the idea that the NCAA would rule him eligible at the end of the fall semester.
Except the NCAA denied Perez’s request on Dec. 16, but did grant him eligibility for the 2023-24 season, which is still the case. He was also permitted to begin practicing with the team at the time of that ruling.
WVU appealed the NCAA’s decision to the legislative relief board, which again denied the request.
Perez was all set to play a second season at Manhattan and had participated in the team’s secret scrimmage in October, prior to Masiello’s firing.
He was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference preseason player of the year after averaging 18.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists last season.
“It’s extremely unfortunate,” WVU head coach Bob Huggins said. “I don’t know the whys and the wherefors, but I do know this, you’re talking about a kid who was a very good student in high school. He gave nobody problems or issues. The truth of the matter, and I’ll probably get in trouble for saying it, but (the NCAA) doesn’t know what the hell they’re doing.”
Huggins said he hasn’t talked to Perez about playing next season, but Huggins’ opinion is it would be in Perez’s “best interest” to remain in college and play next season.
Bridges burned?
Baylor forward and Fairmont native Jalen Bridges walked out to the Coliseum floor for pre-game warm-ups to a chorus of boos and chants of “Traitor.”
After spending three seasons at WVU — one as a redshirt — the 6-foot-7 forward transferred to the Bears this season.
Bridges made his first shot of the game, a lay-up in transition, but missed the free throw after being fouled.
Late in the first half, he got in a wrestling match with WVU forward Mohamen Wague when both players went after a loose ball.
Bridges was booed throughout the game, but finished with his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
“Playing here for three years, I kind of knew how it was for opposing teams to come in here,” Bridges said. “I knew (the WVU student section) boos somebody every game. It just happened to be me tonight, because I went here. It’s one of the best atmospheres you can play in college basketball. My teammates had my back.”
News and notes
Baylor won it’s fourth consecutive game against the Mountaineers, who have begun Big 12 play 0-4 for just the second time since joining the league in 2012.
The four victories have come by an average of 5.8 points per game.
WVU point guard Kedrian Johnson returned to the starting lineup after missing last week’s loss against Kansas with a concussion. Johnson finished with 10 points and six assists, but fouled out with 1:55 remaining in the game.
Since joining the Big 12 in 2012, WVU’s league record is 90-93 in regular-season play.
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