West Virginia Basketball: Impact of Jose Perez’s addition to the Mountaineers

Former Manhattan star Jose Perez has transferred to West Virginia Basketball; how will his arrival impact the Mountaineers when he becomes eligible?

One of the surprise stories in the final weeks before the start of the college basketball season has been what has happened at Manhattan. The Jaspers entered the year among the favorites in the MAAC, but any and all expectations have been thrown into complete turmoil. Head coach Steve Masiello was dismissed less than two weeks before the season was set to start, and a number of players have decided to leave the program as well.

One player who has decided to leave is Jose Perez, who most certainly will be the biggest loss the Jaspers will suffer. Perez was considered the preseason favorite to win MAAC Player of the Year, but the firing of Masiello caused Perez to decide to transfer. With the season just weeks away, it was a pretty unusual move, but the circumstances of firing a head coach so close to a season’s start are quite unusual in itself.

Perez has had quite the road to this point in his collegiate career, as Manhattan wasn’t exactly his first stop. He spent his first two seasons doing decent work at Gardner-Webb, averaging just over 15 points a game in both years. Perez transferred to Marquette as a junior, but was a reserve and virtually a non-factor for the Golden Eagles. This past year at Manhattan was a big step forward, with Jasper averaging 18.9 points and 4.5 assists and emerging as one of the best players in the MAAC.

With the success he’s had in recent years, discounting that season at Marquette, it’s not a surprise that he quickly became a hot commodity after announcing his intention to transfer. Obviously, with the season just a couple of weeks away, this was an abnormal situation, but there were still a plethora of schools interested in his services. Schools like Louisville, Missouri, NC State, and TCU were among Perez’s final choices, while dozens other showed interest in him. However, less than a week after departing from Manhattan, Perez has announced he is headed to West Virginia.

Perez actually fits the current mold at West Virginia, as Bob Huggins has himself a roster loaded with transfers. More than half a dozen players on the Mountaineers roster were at different colleges last season, including expected starters like Emmitt Matthews, Tre Mitchell, and Erik Stevenson. One of the big factors for success for the Mountaineers this season is how these pieces fit together; but how does Perez fit into that puzzle?

It’s Perez’s ability to score from all over the court that makes him an intriguing piece at West Virginia. We know some of those aforementioned pieces will be the leading players on this team, but Perez will have a role to play, potentially as a reserve wing who can earn extra minutes. The Mountaineers’ have way more question marks in the frontcourt than the backcourt, but extra depth is not something they’re going to complain about.

In all likelihood, Perez will be eligible to play after this current semester ends, making him available in late December or early January, just about when Big 12 play gets underway. By that point, Huggins will likely have a firmer grasp on the rotations for the Mountaineers. Regardless of what he can actually do in this offense by then, adding a talented player like Perez just after Christmas is going to be a certain boost for the Mountaineers. If he can play like he was playing at Manhattan, then don’t be shocked to see him make a big impact for a West Virginia team looking for answers with a brand new roster.