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YSU’s Perry looks to impress at camp
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Kendrick Perry caught the attention of professional scouts after a stellar four-year career at Youngstown State, scoring an invitation to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, an NBA pre-draft camp for 64 of the top seniors in the country.
By Steve WILAJ
YOUNGSTOWN
Kendrick Perry often gets a certain question about trying to capture his NBA dreams.
“I’ve had people ask me if I’m anxious or nervous,” he said. “But I don’t see it that way.”
Instead, Perry — who has caught the attention of professional scouts after a stellar four-year career at Youngstown State — looks at his opportunities in a completely different manner.
“I’m just thankful for the position that I’m in because a lot of people don’t get these chances,” he said.
For example: An invitation to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.
The PIT, which begins today at the Churchland High School Sports Complex in Virginia and will finish on Saturday, is an NBA pre-draft camp for 64 of the top seniors in the country.
Perry, the first YSU player to participate in the 61-year-old camp, will play in a 12-game tournament over four days. Representatives from each NBA team — as well as international scouts — will be in attendance.
”It’s a huge opportunity and definitely something that I cherish,” Perry said. “Getting a chance to play in front of NBA coaches and executives and people from overseas is truly an honor. I’m really excited for the opportunity.”
The camp is made up of eight teams, with Perry one of eight players on the Mike Duman squad. Among others, he’s joined by Josh Davis of San Diego State, Jamil Wilson of Marquette and Sam Dower of Gonzaga.
Perry said he’s simply going to try to do what he does best.
“The total mindset is just to be yourself,” he said. “I’m not gonna try to do anything too crazy or anything that I don’t think I’m capable of. Obviously somebody somewhere saw something they liked about me, so I’m just going to keep trying to do what I do, but at the same time get better at what I do.”
What Perry did at YSU was earn three All-Horizon League first-team selections and finish as the school’s Division I leading scorer with 1,991 career points. He also set a Horizon League record for career steals and was named to the conference’s all-defensive team this past year.
Shortly after YSUs season ended in early March, Perry returned to his hometown of Ocoee, Fla., to begin working with the Orlando Hoops training team. While still completing his YSU classes online, he’s trained twice a day, five times per week for the past month.
“When you’re given the opportunity like this, you can’t really half-do it,” he said “You have to take full advantage.”
His training routine at Orlando Hoops involves a variety of different workouts — from shooting and ballhandling to weightlifting and agility drills.
“It’s different stuff every day,” Perry said. “We mix it up. They try to keep me on my toes and it’s really fun. I enjoy it.”
Forget the nerves. It’s just another part of the process in which Perry is thankful to be included.
“As a kid I’ve dreamed of playing in the NBA and it’s so close right now and in my grasp,” he said. “So it’s definitely exciting. I’m not gonna take this for granted. I’m gonna cherish every moment of it.”