Sydney Kings land rookie Kendrick Perry
Perry comes from Youngstown State Penguins
The Sydney Kings are excited to announce that import point guard Kendrick Perry has agreed to join the club for the 2014/2015 National Basketball League season.
The 21 year old Perry, who hails from Ocoee in Florida, stands 183cm (6’0”) and weighs 77 kg (169lb). He recently completed an outstanding four-year career at NCAA Division One University Youngstown State, where he finished as the all-time scoring leader in school history and earned a degree in criminal justice.
He also secured the Horizon League conference all-time record with 246 steals and in his senior year at Youngstown State averaged an impressive 21.3 points per game – ranking him 11th in the nation – on 50.6% shooting from the field.
In his final college game he tallied an equal career-high 35 points, and became the only player in school history ever to record 1,900 points, 500 rebounds, 490 assists and 240 steals over the course of a career.
Among his many accomplishments at the college level, he was named to the 2013-14 Capital One Academic All-America Second-Team and was selected to the 2013-14 All-Horizon League First-Team.
Kendrick played one game with the Orlando Magic in the recently completed NBA Summer League, and while he was not selected in the 2014 NBA draft, he is considered by many judges to have a bright future in the game.
He boasts a huge 6’6” wingspan and tremendous athleticism for someone his size – his dunking ability is a feature of his game. He has made great strides as a quality playmaker and his noted ball-hawking ability gives the Kings a potentially disruptive force on the perimeter.
It’s those attributes that will make him a firm favourite at the Kingdome this season in the vein of other exciting Sydney point guards of the past like Dontaye Draper, Kendrick Johnson and Corin Henry.
“I’m thrilled that we’ve been able to sign Kendrick,” said Sydney Kings Head Coach Damian Cotter.
“When we first saw him on video, he really jumped off the screen with his superior athleticism, quickness and defensive ability.”
“He’s shown at the college level that he is a great scorer and I believe that his addition to the backcourt alongside Ben Madgen and Jason Cadee, will give our team some real potency.”
“Importantly, Kendrick has also shown that he is of exceptional character. I believe he’ll be an ideal fit from a cultural standpoint, and while he is a young man and comes to us as a rookie in the professional ranks, he has shown from his early days in high school that he possesses great leadership ability.”
Sydney Kings Head of Basketball Operations, Tim Hudson, echoed his coach’s words.
“The process we went through in looking at a prospective import point guard was extremely thorough,” Hudson said.
“We looked at players from both an analytical and cultural perspective, and Kendrick ticked all the boxes.”
“On court, he can lead a team, he can play combo guard, he can shoot the ball and he can defend up and down the floor. Off court, he has shown himself to be an outstanding young man and I believe he’ll be great for both our club and the league.”
Sydney Kings General Manager, Mr Rod Harys, hailed Sydney’s first import signing.
“I’m elated that the club has been able to recruit Kendrick,” said Harys.
“He’s a real excitement machine on the floor who showed in college he can really fly and I think our fans are in for a real treat this season when Kendrick Perry takes to the floor.”
“But what’s just as impressive is what he brings to the club off the court. He’s a great young man who fits our cultural and community values and we are really looking forward to welcoming him into the Sydney Kings Family.”
And as far as the man himself is concerned, he couldn’t be happier to be joining the purple and gold.
“I'm extremely honoured and excited to be playing with the Sydney Kings,” said Perry.
“I look forward to the challenge of leading this club to a winning season and maintaining a tradition of excellence."
Kendrick will arrive in Sydney in early August to commence pre-season training with the Kings.
The Sydney Kings tip off their season on Saturday 11 October 11 with a Kingdome blockbuster against the Wollongong Hawks.
The 21 year old Perry, who hails from Ocoee in Florida, stands 183cm (6’0”) and weighs 77 kg (169lb). He recently completed an outstanding four-year career at NCAA Division One University Youngstown State, where he finished as the all-time scoring leader in school history and earned a degree in criminal justice.
He also secured the Horizon League conference all-time record with 246 steals and in his senior year at Youngstown State averaged an impressive 21.3 points per game – ranking him 11th in the nation – on 50.6% shooting from the field.
In his final college game he tallied an equal career-high 35 points, and became the only player in school history ever to record 1,900 points, 500 rebounds, 490 assists and 240 steals over the course of a career.
Among his many accomplishments at the college level, he was named to the 2013-14 Capital One Academic All-America Second-Team and was selected to the 2013-14 All-Horizon League First-Team.
Kendrick played one game with the Orlando Magic in the recently completed NBA Summer League, and while he was not selected in the 2014 NBA draft, he is considered by many judges to have a bright future in the game.
He boasts a huge 6’6” wingspan and tremendous athleticism for someone his size – his dunking ability is a feature of his game. He has made great strides as a quality playmaker and his noted ball-hawking ability gives the Kings a potentially disruptive force on the perimeter.
It’s those attributes that will make him a firm favourite at the Kingdome this season in the vein of other exciting Sydney point guards of the past like Dontaye Draper, Kendrick Johnson and Corin Henry.
“I’m thrilled that we’ve been able to sign Kendrick,” said Sydney Kings Head Coach Damian Cotter.
“When we first saw him on video, he really jumped off the screen with his superior athleticism, quickness and defensive ability.”
“He’s shown at the college level that he is a great scorer and I believe that his addition to the backcourt alongside Ben Madgen and Jason Cadee, will give our team some real potency.”
“Importantly, Kendrick has also shown that he is of exceptional character. I believe he’ll be an ideal fit from a cultural standpoint, and while he is a young man and comes to us as a rookie in the professional ranks, he has shown from his early days in high school that he possesses great leadership ability.”
Sydney Kings Head of Basketball Operations, Tim Hudson, echoed his coach’s words.
“The process we went through in looking at a prospective import point guard was extremely thorough,” Hudson said.
“We looked at players from both an analytical and cultural perspective, and Kendrick ticked all the boxes.”
“On court, he can lead a team, he can play combo guard, he can shoot the ball and he can defend up and down the floor. Off court, he has shown himself to be an outstanding young man and I believe he’ll be great for both our club and the league.”
Sydney Kings General Manager, Mr Rod Harys, hailed Sydney’s first import signing.
“I’m elated that the club has been able to recruit Kendrick,” said Harys.
“He’s a real excitement machine on the floor who showed in college he can really fly and I think our fans are in for a real treat this season when Kendrick Perry takes to the floor.”
“But what’s just as impressive is what he brings to the club off the court. He’s a great young man who fits our cultural and community values and we are really looking forward to welcoming him into the Sydney Kings Family.”
And as far as the man himself is concerned, he couldn’t be happier to be joining the purple and gold.
“I'm extremely honoured and excited to be playing with the Sydney Kings,” said Perry.
“I look forward to the challenge of leading this club to a winning season and maintaining a tradition of excellence."
Kendrick will arrive in Sydney in early August to commence pre-season training with the Kings.
The Sydney Kings tip off their season on Saturday 11 October 11 with a Kingdome blockbuster against the Wollongong Hawks.
E. Carchia
@Sportando
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