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Perry earns Horizon League honors
Damian Eargle also was selected to the league’s all-defensive team
By Joe Scalzo
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On Monday, Youngstown State guard Kendrick Perry (3) became the first sophomore to be named to the All-Horizon League first team.
YOUNGSTOWN
This time, Kendrick Perry said he was the one getting the assist.
Perry, Youngstown State’s dynamic sophomore guard, was named to the All-Horizon League’s first team Monday, becoming the first Penguin sophomore to earn that honor.
“It means a lot, it really does,” Perry said. “Going into the season, coach [Jerry Slocum] said it was going to be a special season for me.
“I just want to credit all my teammates and all my coaches. Throughout the year, they kept me level-headed. They kept me low when I had success and kept me high when I had failures.”
Perry was one of two Penguins to earn all-conference honors; junior forward Damian Eargle was named to the all-defensive team.
“It means a lot, especially on the defensive end,” said Eargle, a Warren Harding High graduate. “I really worked a lot on defense in the offseason and it paid off.”
Perry led the league in scoring (16.8 per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0) and was second in steals (2.4) and tied for third in assists (3.9). Over his last nine games, Perry averaged 22.8 points 2.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.9 steals per game while shooting 57.6 percent from the field.
He’s just the second Penguin to earn first team all-Horizon honors, joining Quin Humphrey (2005-06 and 2006-07).
Eargle set the Horizon League record for blocks in a season (113), ranking third nationally with 4.0 per game. He was also third in the conference in rebounding (7.4) and averaged 10.4 points per game.
“Happy for those guys and again, I think it reflects the team in terms of the fact that we’ve had a solid year,” said YSU coach Jerry Slocum, who led the Penguins (15-13, 10-7) to their best Horizon League record since joining in 2001-02. “The other thing that [makes me] happy as a basketball coach is that that’s a sophomore and a junior.
“Both those guys have had really solid years. I think KP over the last month has improved almost in front of your eyes every day. I’m very, very happy for those guys.”
Eargle made the Horizon League’s all-newcomer team last season but was shut out of the all-defensive team, despite leading the league in blocks.
“I was kind of mad, actually, last year,” Eargle said, chuckling. “I was like, ‘I didn’t get on the team?’ I felt like [I deserved it], so I guess I put the work in and I got it.”
Butler senior guard Ronald Nored was named the league’s defensive player of the year, an honor Eargle plans to chase next season.
“That’s one of my main goals,” he said. “I think I will, if I keep it up.
“It’s not a cocky thing, it’s just confidence that I put time in on defense.”
Of course, the Penguins still have work to do this season. YSU will play host to Green Bay tonight in the first round of the conference tournament.
The Penguins are 2-10 all-time in the tournament but 1-1 in home games.
“We know that it’s one-and-done,” said Perry. “Every game, every possession, we have to play like it’s our last possession.
“Because it could be.”