West Virginia’s Staff Contacts Manhattan Transfer G Jose Perez

On Tuesday night, West Virginia’s basketball staff made contact with Manhattan transfer guard Jose Perez, WV Sports Now learned. Perez entered the portal earlier in the day after head coach Steve Masiello was dismissed from his duties.

Perez (6-foot-5, 210 pounds) is entering his senior season. Just hours after entering the transfer portal on Tuesday, the Bronx, NY native has been in contact with Alabama, Bryant, Cincinnati, Clemson, Kansas State, Massachusetts, Memphis, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico State, Oregon, Rhode Island, San Diego, Wake Forest, West Virginia and others, he told Jeff Borzello of ESPN.

Perez spent the last season at Manhattan, averaging 18.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists last season. The guard shot 40 percent from the field, 26 percent from three and 80 percent from the free-throw line. Perez was recently named the 2022-23 Preseason MAAC Player of the Year. Before his time at Manhattan, Perez played for Gardner-Webb and Marquette.

Manhattan’s basketball program announced on Tuesday morning that they were reliving Masiello of his duties, leaving the entire team without their head coach two weeks before the season starts. Perez made it known that Masiello is his coach and he was extremely disappointed with what the university decided on.

“What a joke!! Unbelievable why do it two weeks before the season and leaving 10 seniors not knowing what they’re going to do with their lives… crazy crazy,” Perez wrote on Twitter.

WV Sports Now will keep you up-to-date with West Virginia’s involvement in Perez’s recruitment.