One of the great stories of the college basketball season was the success of North Texas and the point guard that led the way for the Mean Green will be on a visit to Gainesville this weekend.
Tylor Perry, a 5’11” native of Fort Coffee, Oklahoma, came to North Texas after starting his career at Coffeyville Community College. The Mean Green were one of the best mid-major teams in the country this season, only a couple of wins away from being in the at-large conversation for the NCAA Tournament. Instead, they went to the NIT where they played outstanding basketball, ultimately winning the championship. On their way to doing so the Mean Green took down Oklahoma State and Wisconsin which demonstrated just how good a club they were. Ultimately North Texas finished the year ranked 31st in KenPom, a number that would have been fifth best in the SEC.
Now that we’ve established just how good North Texas was, we can talk about the player that led the way for them–Tylor Perry.
Perry averaged 17.3 points and 2.1 assists per game. To further context about these numbers–it’s important to note that North Texas was dead last in the country in tempo. Had they played a higher possession style of game, it’s entirely possible that Perry could have averaged 20 points per game for an excellent team in a great league.
One skill that jumps off the page for Perry is his three-point shooting which has been consistently excellent in his two seasons of division one basketball. This past season he shot 41.3% from deep–following the previous season when he shot 41.4%. While the percentage is excellent, it doesn’t even tell the whole story of how good his shooting is. Perry shot the ball with extreme volume, averaging 7.5 three-point attempts per game. That’s a massive amount of attempts, so his tremendous percentage on a heavy load of shots suggests that Perry was one of the best three-point shooters in the country.
If there is a question about Perry’s fit at the high-major level, it’s going to be about his 5’11” frame and specifically–will he be able to defend at a high enough level. There might not be an exact answer until we see Perry at the high major level, but watching the tape at North Texas–it’s not going to be a major concern. Defense was the priority at North Texas who was 18th in the country in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency, and it all started with Perry’s defense at the point of attack. Constant ball pressure was required by the in-your-face defensive scheme of the Mean Green, and Perry was able to pressure opposing guards the entire length of the floor without getting beat. If he was beaten, Perry had the foot speed and angles to recover before the offensive player could take advantage of his earned step. While he’s not massive, Perry’s 182 pound frame isn’t slight for a player standing at 5’11” and he’s more than happy to engage physically when an opposing player is trying to drive through his body.
Perry hasn’t been the best finisher at the rim in his career, likely a product of his height, but his elite outside shot has allowed him to score in other ways that opens up easier, less-contested shots at the rim.
North Texas’s defensive success predicated on the play of Perry and his top-notch scoring numbers speak for themselves, but there is also a lore about his game that suggests an X-factor the Gators could really use. Perry is known as someone who thrives in the biggest moments of games, and someone who always seems to make a huge shot when the Mean Green need it. North Texas is 4-1 in overtime games in the last two seasons, and each win has a signature Tylor Perry shot that iced the game. Throughout Conference USA play, it seemed the Mean Green always seemed to come out with the win in tight games, and it was nearly always because of a big play from Perry either offensively or defensively. Additionally, Perry shot 88% from the free throw line (and 89% in conference play), so whenever clutch free throws were needed–he nearly always delivered. Last season the Gators lacked a guard who could create and hit a shot when the shot clock or game clock was winding down and it hurt them in close games–and if they were to land Perry, they’d instantly have a guy who could be called upon in those moments.
As of Friday afternoon Perry hasn’t announced his final schools, but he is getting interest from all kinds of SEC and Big 12 schools. His coach at North Texas, Grant McCasland, has taken the Texas Tech job since the season ended and they are expected to have a decent shot at Perry’s services.
This is a big visit for Florida’s coaching staff who would love to land a big name in the backcourt.