MORGANTOWN — The exodus of WVU men’s basketball players from the roster has begun.
Following the resignation of former head coach Bob Huggins after a DUI arrest for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol last week, forward Tre Mitchell entered the transfer portal Thursday and guards Kerr Kriisa and Joe Toussaint entered the portal Friday.
All three will be eligible to play somewhere else next season.
Mitchell and Toussaint both earned their bachelor’s degrees in May, so they would be considered graduate transfers with one season of eligibility remaining.
Kriisa, who transferred to WVU in April from Arizona, would also be immediately eligible next season, due to the fact he had yet to enroll at WVU as a full-time student.
The NCAA would view Kriisa as still using his one-time transfer waiver.
“It’s been a crazy and busy week,” Kriisa told ESPN. “I’m deeply sorry about the situation, as I was really looking forward to playing for Coach Huggins. Huggs will always be my guy. I’ve only known him for a few months now, but he is the most genuine man I have ever met. He is the man.”
According to a WVU source, 12 of the 13 scholarship players on the Mountaineers’ roster would be able to transfer and be immediately eligible at another school next season.
The only player in question is guard Jose Perez, who was denied a waiver from the NCAA last season after transferring to WVU from Manhattan. Perez has already played at three other schools and had used his one-time transfer option.
If Perez is able to earn his bachelor’s degree this summer, he too would then be able to change schools as a graduate transfer and be immediately eligible.
It’s also possible Perez could transfer without his degree and petition the NCAA for another waiver.
The NCAA could grant him immediate eligibility based on the fact he already sat out one season of play during the 2022-23 season.
Underclassmen such as Josiah Harris, Kobe Johnson, Seth Wilson and James Okonkwo have yet to use their one-time transfer allowed by the NCAA, so they would also be eligible immediately if they decide to enter the portal.
While the NCAA window for basketball transfers closed in May, it does allow an additional 30 days for players to transfer during a coaching change.
Any player who enters the portal has the option of returning to WVU.
Mitchell was the Mountaineers’ second-leading scorer last season, averaging 11.7 points per game, while also grabbing 5.5 rebounds per game.
Toussaint and Kriisa were expected to combine to be the Mountaineers’ point guards.
Kriisa led the Pac-12 in assists last season, while Toussaint was WVU’s backup point guard last season, after transferring from Iowa.
WVU athletic director Wren Baker or president E. Gordon Gee have yet to make any public announcements about the coaching search, which has become a source of frustration for the players, a source told The Dominion Post on Thursday.
Huggins has a preliminary hearing on his DUI charges scheduled for Aug. 3 in Pittsburgh.
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