Travis Perry made a 3-pointer during his first run on the court for No. 10 Kentucky in its 88-54 blowout win over Brown last Saturday.
When the shot went up, there was the gasp of anticipation from the crowd of 20,042 in Rupp Arena. When the shot went through the hoop, there was an explosion of loud cheers for Perry.
He came to Kentucky as one of the most heralded freshmen from the state in many years. Perry became the all-time leading scorer in Kentucky high school basketball history with 5,381 points while playing for Lyon County.
Perry led Lyon County to the KHSAA state championship, and was named the Sweet 16 MVP. Perry was named 2024 Kentucky Mr. Basketball and two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year.
He was a 4-star prospect ranked as high as No. 75 by Rivals and No. 77 by ESPN and 247Sports.
Against Brown, Perry had four points, two boards and a steal in a career-high 14 minutes.
“One thing I learned is that TP is going to keep working into these minutes of the points and he’s going to keep getting more and more comfortable,” UK coach Mark Pope said Saturday. “For him right now, he’s got so much more to his game than we are probably seeing in the limited minutes he’s had so far because he is still trying to get over the newness of it. But as he settles in, and he’s going to settle in under fire but as he settles in he’s going to be very, very, very serviceable and to the point.”
Perry’s activity has been limited, as he is playing behind some veteran guards who have been strong scorers and defenders.
The 6-foot-1 freshman played seven minutes against Louisville, a season high nine minutes against Colgate. His career high is five points against Jackson State, including his first made 3-pointer.
He’s had to stay patient and make the most of his minutes, so far.
“Just try to play the game the right way, do the things we’ve worked on in practice,” Perry said after the Brown win. “Just going out there and try to contribute to the team. I feel like I’ve made a lot of strides going against Lamont every single day in practice.”
Perry has had to get used to a significantly reduced role on a veteran team that’s in the top 10 of college basketball.
“Trying to make the right play, not do to much,” Perry said of what his aim is during practices. “Something I had been struggling with was not being aggressive enough. Just come in, try to be aggressive, make plays for myself and my teammates.”
Perry and Kentucky will open SEC play Saturday morning with a major challenge in No. 6 Florida. The Gators come to Rupp Arena for a 10 a.m. CT tipoff.
“You know, I’ve watched SEC basketball for forever, so to be able to be a part of it is something that I’m excited for, and I’m excited for our team to get to go face that challenge,” Perry said. “You know, it’s a completely different game. Whenever you’re playing against SEC teams. Every single night, there’s no rest, no off day, so it will be a good challenge, I think we’re ready for it.
“What is different about SEC play, this year especially, just the competition every night. Like you might have a night during non-conference that some more guys get some more minutes, but every single play matters in SEC, and just kind of the competitiveness of it. So you want to go out there and take advantage all the opportunities and win every game possible.”
