Chris Perry doesn’t look like a freshman.
His 6-foot-8, 266-pound frame makes him look older. So does the USF Bulls forward/center’s game at times.
“Chris just came in with almost a senior, junior-type size and strength,” USF coach Stan Heath said. “He’s got that low-post game that’s really hard to stop. He knows how to use his size.”
The former Bartow High star has made the transition to the college game, mainly because he had to, and he had to do it quickly.
“It’s awesome because I’m getting, like, thrown into the fire as a freshman,” Perry said. “I’m learning.”
Perry played in all 31 regular-season games for the Bulls, starting 10 of them. He was second on the team with 23 blocked shots, third in rebounding and fourth in scoring. He was also honored five times as the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week and named to the ACC's All-Rookie team.
On Wednesday, Perry will play in his first conference tournament when USF plays Rutgers. He brings a certain enthusiasm for the game, evident in the ever-present smile on his face, that can help propel the Bulls.
“He’s got kind of this extra gear where he can turn it on and really be productive,” Heath said. “When Chris is really engaging and he’s kind of in that where you can’t stop me, give me the ball, I think his teammates really feed off of that.”
Click on the video to see Perry in action.