By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
Basketball Champions League features a lot of experienced players who’ve already made names for themselves but sometimes it’s the other way around. Sometimes, the ‘rookies’ steal the spotlight and look to take over. One of them is Kendrick Perry.
Eyes on the Horizon
After Edgewater high school in his home state of Florida, young Kendrick Perry moved 800+ miles away in order to pursue his dreams at Youngstown State University (Ohio).
His freshman season in the Horizon League (NCAA – Division I) went pretty well as he averaged nine points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists but that was just the beginning. Perry kept improving year by year and in his senior season, he averaged 21.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.4 steals.
In his final college game, Perry scored 35 points and became the all-time leading scorer as the only player in the school’s history to finish his career with 1900 points, 500 rebounds, 490 assists and 240 steals.
No worries, mate
Perry went undrafted in 2014 and after a stint with the Orlando Magic in the Summer League, it was time to pick the starting spot for his professional career – and he chose the Sidney Kings in Australia.
“I’m excited to get started”, Perry said before arriving but the transition to pro basketball is never easy and he had a tough one. Arriving as a record-breaker put a lot of expectations on his shoulders and while he needed some time to adjust to the new environment, the Australian media didn’t have that patience: “Statistically, might be one of the worst under-performing point guards.”
However, the club waited for him and Perry stayed calm, kept working eventually averaging 10.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists.
He went back to the States joining the Iowa Wolves in the Development League and after that, he started his journey around Europe. First, he went to Hungary for a year (BC Kormend) after which he joined the Macedonian club Karpos Sokoli in the ABA League where he averaged 10.9 points and 4.5 assists per game. He was named Round 25 MVP as he notched 26 points six assists and four rebounds for a total value rating of 30.
Joining the elite
After one more year in Hungary (Szolnoki Olaj), it was time for the ‘big guns’. He kept learning and improving, and finally got to the European elite by joining Nizhny Novgorod. Perry is the leading scorer of the team notching 15.3 points on average in the four Basketball Champions League he played so far. As soon as he got the chance, in his first BCL game, he dropped 25 points against Sidigas Avellino and Norris Cole.
The 25-year-old shows great promise in his fifth pro season and has yet to reach the peak of his career. Let’s enjoy watching him become the best of the best.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League