Reggie Perry’s Ceiling

The days of college basketball where a single 5-star recruit can completely change the direction of your program might not be the case anymore, but that doesn’t change the fact that Mississippi State fans should be very excited about incoming freshmen, Reggie Perry. At 6-8 239 he’s got a sturdy frame, but more importantly, a versatile skill set that doesn’t come around that often from a forward his size.

His skill set reminds me a lot of Paul Millsap, the former all-star was only a 3-star recruit coming out of high school, but I have to assume that was mostly due to his small frame. The dude put up numbers during his time at Louisiana State, he lead his conference in rebounds all three years and the whole NCAA in his sophomore campaign. He wasn’t only a hustle rebounder, he also averaged around 19 points with an efficient 58% shooting. Reggie is already a better shooter from distance than Millsap ever was in college.

It would be far too much to ask for Reggie to do the same competing against SEC competition, but he has a real chance of being very productive with an already pretty talented squad around him. He has the unique ability at his stature to score at all three levels, he can play both off the ball and with it in his hands. He’s like Millsap, except with more potential. Reggie is size appropriate for the position and shows some signs of good to great athleticism.

Basketball is like a science in that it’s always moving forward, for better or worse it’s now almost imperative for a four to be capable of draining it from the three-point line. Perry’s game is already past what Millsap’s was at the same age, but when you watch the kid next season think Millsap after Coach Bud got a hold of him and made him an all-star. I’m not saying he’s at NBA all start level, that would be ridiculous, but what I am saying is that the outline is there.

Now— I know this is crazy hype for a young man who hasn’t even played his first college basketball game, but I can’t help it, I’m giddy that this kid is a Bulldog. The potential is oozing out of him, so much so that I can’t help but wonder what his ultimate ceiling is. Only time will tell, but there’s nothing wrong with us fans predicting. The Bulldogs went 25-12 last season, a respectable year, but a few more wins and we’re probably offered a bid to the actual dance, I think it’s reasonable to think that a talent coming in like Reggie Perry can get us over the hump.