NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — As Florida-based Each 1 Teach 1 coach Edward Francis looked over a Nike Peach Jam stat sheet Saturday, his mouth dropped when he found what he was looking for.
"You shot (77 percent) for the tournament. That's crazy. That's crazy!" said Francis, who was praising E1T1 big man Chris Perry, a senior forward from Bartow (Fla.) High playing AAU ball for the first time this summer.
Perry wasn't supposed to be this good. When The Commercial Appeal profiled him in June, he was nowhere to be found on the major recruiting services, yet the University of Memphis had offered the 6-8, 245-pounder.
The Tigers were Perry's first major offer, but, after this week's performance, they won't be his last.
Though Perry's E1T1 team was eliminated from Peach Jam title contention in Saturday evening's quarterfinals, he ranked second in the tournament in field-goal percentage (26-of-34) through six games and was tied for second in rebounding, averaging 11.5 points and 9.3 rebounds.
They were numbers even Perry hadn't envisioned when he began playing for E1T1 in April.
Before this summer, he had only played in local summer tournaments with his high school team.
Perry, who wears size 17 shoes, seemed almost embarrassed about his ascension when asked about it Saturday. Scout.com now ranks him a three-star prospect.
"Seriously, if I wouldn't have been on this team, I wouldn't even have been thinking about going to college," said Perry, who, besides Memphis, now has offers from
Cincinnati and South Florida and interest from a host of other schools.
"I didn't expect it to go this well. This is my first year playing AAU, period.
"They told me right before I started, (the Peach Jam) is like a miniature NBA."
There are still areas in which Perry has to improve.
Since he hadn't played against elite competition until this summer, Perry is still adjusting to the speed and athleticism of high-level prospects.
But his natural skills are unquestionable, and given the right circumstances, he could develop into a productive force on the block and/or the high post.
"Once his confidence gets to where he just says, 'I'm one of those players,' then he's going to be off the charts," Francis said.
"He brings a lot to the table. I can use him outside because he's got a nice 12- to 15-foot jump shot and he's a good passer. He has good hands.
"But never did I expect this."
For now, Perry says he's "soaking it all in" when it comes to his recruitment. After all, until this summer, he hadn't been on the national radar, so his newfound popularity has been a bit overwhelming.
"There was a point where I wasn't even starting. I was the last person off the bench," said Perry, who didn't start for E1T1 until May.
"I love that my teammates have confidence in me. Now, I've just got to have confidence in myself."
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jul/22/florida-big-man-and-tigers-target-chris-perry-in/
