West Virginia players transferring amid coaching uncertainty

By ADAM ZAGORIA

Several West Virginia players are planning to transfer amid uncertainty about the coaching situation.

It has been six days since Bob Huggins resigned following a DUI arrest, and the team he assembled is getting restless. West Virginia officials spoke Thursday night with assistants Ron Everhart and Josh Eilert in a “fact-finding” mission, sources said, while various other established head coaches, including former West Virginia coach John Beilein, UAB coach Andy Kennedy, Liberty’s Ritchie McKay, Tulane’s Ron Hunter and Youngstown State’s Jerrod Calhoun, have been linked to the job.

Forward Tre Mitchell and guards Kerr Kriisa and Joe Toussaint are all in various stages of either planning to enter the portal or officially entering it, sources said.

“Yes,” Toussaint said by text about his plans to transfer.

The 6-foot-9 Mitchell will visit Kentucky on Saturday, a source close to him said. The Wildcats are in need of frontcourt help after losing Oscar Tshiebwe to the NBA Draft. Incoming freshman big man Aaron Bradshaw is also recovering from a fractured foot that may delay the start to his season.

He has also heard from Kansas State, Memphis, DePaul, Georgetown, Arizona State and Xavier after averaging 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds. He transferred from Texas in 2022. Returning to West Virginia is not out of the question, a source close to Mitchell said.

The 6-3 Kriisa, a native of Lithuania, averaged 9.9 points and 5.1 assists last season at Arizona and has never played a game at West Virginia.

The 6-foot Toussaint, a Bronx, N.Y,. native, averaged 9.4 points and 2.6 assists as a senior at West Virginia, and has heard from a variety of programs.

Schools that have reached out on West Virginia transfer @TouTou__5 Joe Toussaint

Averaged 9.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.6 a

Gonzaga
Kansas state
Depaul
Western kentucky
Seton hall
Nebreska
Notre dame
St. John’s
Georgetown
Texas tech
Pitt
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State pic.twitter.com/GCcV4ZxebE

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) June 24, 2023

Other players could opt to transfer as well depending on what happens with the coaching search.

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