Report: Mazzulla, Gansey Urging WVU Players to Stick Together

Sources tell Adam Zagoria that former Mountaineers Joe Mazzulla and Mike Gansey are urging the WVU players to stick together during the coaching change. Zagoria reports that Mazzulla and Gansey met with the team over Zoom on Monday.

A source close to the team tells WV Sports Now that the call went well and that Mazzulla and Gansey are “really good guys.”

Mazzulla just completed his first year as the Boston Celtics head coach while Gansey has been the general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers for over a year now. Mazzulla and Gansey were both recruited by former head coach John Beilein. Mazzulla played on the 2010 Final Four team and Gansey was apart of the 2005 Elite-8 run.

The West Virginia basketball team is currently on a Zoom with Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla and Cavs GM Mike Gansey – two WVU products — who are urging them to keep the team together, per sources

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) June 19, 2023

West Virginia is in the middle of a national search for a new head coach after Bob Huggins resigned on Saturday night after a DUI charge. WVU’s players have 30 days to enter the transfer portal with the coaching change. If the players do decide to leave West Virginia, some will need waivers while others will not. Reports say that multi-time non-graduate transfers such as RaeQuan Battle would need a waiver while one-time transfers Kerr Kriisa and Jesse Edwards would not.

Here’s a check on each individual’s eligibility status:

One Year Remaining: RaeQuan Battle, Jesse Edwards, Tre Mitchell, Jose Perez, Omar Silverio, Joe Toussaint

Two Years: Kobe Johnson, Kerr Kriisa, James Okonkwo, Patrick Suemnick, Mohamed Wague, Seth Wilson

Three Years: Josiah Harris

WVSN will keep you updated on WVU’s coaching search.