WVU Basketball Ranked No. 1 in Transfer Portal Class During Early Period

WVU basketball has hit the ground running with their transfer portal recruitment, securing commitments from Jose Perez (Manhattan), Omar Silverio (Manhattan) and Kerr Kriisa (Arizona). West Virginia has put themselves in a great position early on that they have earned the No. 1 class ranking in the country, by Brandon Crawford of 247 Sports.

Crawford’s Transfer Portal Class Rankings:

1. West Virginia

2. South Carolina

3. Syracuse

4. TCU

5. Creighton

T-6. Louisville

T-6. Minnesota

T-8. Alabama

T-8. Texas Tech

T-8. Austin Peay

T-8. Tulsa

.@BCrawford247 currently has West Virginia as the No. 1 transfer portal class after the NCAA Tournament

— Ethan Bock (@ethanbock_) April 5, 2023

Crawford’s reasoning for having WVU at No. 1 is having the Manhattan duo of Perez and Silverio. Crawford released this ranking before the Mountaineers even got Kriisa from the portal on Wednesday.

Perez was the preseason MAAC Player of the Year before head coach Steve Masiello was let go two weeks before the season started. Perez entered the transfer portal and committed to West Virginia within five days. The Bronx, NY. native had to sit out this past season due to transferring. The NCAA denied Perez’s waiver and his appeal. Perez comes to WVU after averaging 18.9 points during the 2021-22 season.

Silverio has a very similar situation to Perez. Silverio left with Perez when Masiello was fired. Deciding between going pro and staying in the portal, Silverio’s patience paid off as WVU’s staff contacted him in early March. Silverio committed to WVU and will rejoin his childhood friend in their final year of eligibility. Silverio averaged 10.9 points on 36 percent shooting from three during the 2021-22 season at Hofstra.

After the ranking, it’s assumed WVU stays at No. 1 after picking up Kriisa. Kriisa comes to West Virginia after averaging 9.9 points and 5.2 assists during his junior year at Arizona. Kriisa shot 37 percent from deep, contributing to back-to-back top seeds in the NCAA Tournament.

West Virginia currently has one scholarship spot open with the transfer portal open for another five weeks. WVU will host Pitt transfer big John Hugley from April 21-23.

Follow along with WV Sports Now on how WVU rounds out their 2023-24 roster.