The roller coaster that has been this off-season for the West Virginia basketball roster continued when transfer guard Omar SIlverio’s appeal for an immediate eligibility waiver was denied by the NCAA.
And with that decision comes the end of his college career.
Silverio committed to West Virginia in March after previously exiting the Manhattan basketball program following the sudden firing of his head coach Steve Masiello prior to the start of the season. The Dominican Republic native had left Hofstra in order to play for the Jaspers but elected to enter the transfer portal and eventually found his way to Morgantown.
During his last season on the court, Silverio averaged 10.9 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 37-percent from the field. He also shot 36-percent from three and 92-percent from the line.
Silverio was expected to be an important piece of the backcourt rotation for West Virginia but the ruling now means that the Mountaineers are going to have to look elsewhere.
It was always a possible outcome for this situation especially with how unpredictable the NCAA is when it comes to their rulings on waivers. But there is now closure, albeit not the one anybody wanted to see, especially Silverio.
It’s an unfortunate turn of events for all parties and there’s no sugarcoating that. For Silverio it was his last opportunity to play the college game and for the Mountaineers they needed what he brought to the table both on and off the floor with a roster that’s been in flux.
“ I'll say this, you are a part of this team as anyone else on this roster and there isn't one person that will tell you differently, no waiver that can stop that and I'm appreciative of you,” Director of Player Personnel and Recruiting Jay Kuntz said.
That sums it up. Silvero has spent time working with the team and trying to improve and now the fruits of that labor will not be able to show itself in an actual game.
It’s a blow to the numbers as well, sending West Virginia down to 11 scholarship players for the 2023-24 season and another of those is also waiting on a waiver in RaeQuan Battle.
"I know Omar is disappointed that he won't be able to compete this season as a Mountaineer and that his collegiate career is over," head coach Josh Eilert said. "He is a wonderful person, and I know he will be successful in whatever career path he chooses.”
Given the ding to the backcourt depth, West Virginia has limited time to patch those holes as the last day a player can enroll is August 22. That means that the clock is ticking to fill those.
The Mountaineers have some solid backcourt depth with Jose Perez, Battle, Kerr Kriisa, Jeremiah Bembry, Kobe Johnson and Seth Wilson but finding a way to identify a possible late addition could be beneficial to the overall depth and development of the list.
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