Travis Perry is the one recruit left from the Calipari Era is the kid from Eddyville, KY and the leading scorer in KHSAA history as well as a State Champion. He comes in as a top 100 recruit and a top 10 PG in the class of 2024. It’s a fitting beginning to the next chapter of Kentucky basketball and we take a look at how Travis Perry fits into a Mark Pope team.
Offensively
Right off the bat it’s hard not to immediately get excited when you think about the offensive fit. Perry doesn’t have great length for a 6’2” guard but what he lacks in size he makes up for feel. Instincts and feel are essential for Mark Pope guards. Perry is more than capable of creating his own shot but he’s also a willing passer. He consistently did a good job of getting his teammates easy baskets. His ball handling will need some tightening but that is also not something that Mark Pope requires to be successful in his system.
He will likely take some time to adjust to the college game, but the dude is used to being at a physical disadvantage since he’s been playing varsity basketball since he was in middle school. With a little coaching/development I think Perry can become a very good college PG that uses angles and screens rather than explosiveness and pure strength to run a team.
Defensively
His length is going to be an issue and will be a much bigger problem on the defensive end. Especially in the SEC where there is no shortage of elite athletes. Much like he does on the offensive end, Perry’s basketball IQ makes up for physical deficiencies. He reads the game and plays passing lanes that lead to easy transition buckets and gets opponents of their rhythm. That sounds familiar, no?
I believe Travis Perry will be a plus defender before his time ends at Kentucky. There will likely be some growing pains in Year 1 on that end of the floor though.
2024 Outlook
As a member of John Calipari’s class, I was immediately concerned about fit for Travis Perry. Cal prioritizes physical attributes and really struggled with guards who didn’t’ have a size advantage or elite speed (when he had guards who had both, he dominated CBB). With Mark Pope taking over Perry should have a new lease on life at Kentucky. Instead of being surrounded by players who are looking to get to the next step in their basketball journey as soon as possible, Perry will now be thrown into a program that develops players.
As I hinted at above, I wouldn’t count on him being a Freshmen All-American, but I do think we’ll see a player who can step in and be an important contributor off the bench in Year 1. Perry won’t be asked to come in and be a star but rather fill a role that suits him.
