LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- In 2019, Central Florida was one tantalizing shot from toppling Duke and advancing to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.
Ball rolled out.
Zion Williamson and the Blue Devils rolled forward.
The Knights backtracked from 24-9 to 16-14 this season, sliding into a tie for eighth place in the American Athletic Conference.
As UCF tries to close the gap with Houston, Cincinnati, Tulsa and other top teams in its league, coach Johnny Dawkins turned to a former University of Louisville player to strengthen his backcourt: Darius Perry.
According to Corey Evans of rivals.com, Perry committed to finishing his career at UCF on Monday (story link). One of the Knights’ assistant coaches is Vince Taylor, a former U of L assistant.
Another source said that UCF will return only two starters, and that the Knights need a point guard who can run a team and defend.
"They wanted an older player who was tough," the source said. "They sold him on bringing his toughness. Perry can be the kind of defender Patrick Beverly is (for the Los Angeles Clippers. He can also be a 10 (points) and 5 (assists) guy."
Perry’s father, Eric Perry, told Evans about the commitment of his son, who will be eligible immediately as a graduate transfer.
“Johnny Dawkins: He is the right coach for him,” Eric Perry told Evans. “We went by relationships and not the name on the front of the jersey. They are going to put the ball into his hands, and I like the pieces that are going to be around him. They will make Darius a better player.”
Perry averaged 5.2 points and 2.5 assists while shooting 38.9% from three but only 39.3% on two-point attempts for coach Chris Mack.
Perry scored a season high 19 points when Louisville defeated Clemson on Jan. 25 and backed that performance up with 14 in a victory at Boston College four days later.
But after scoring 33 points in those two games, Perry scored only 27 more in 10 more games the rest of the season.
Perry was a member of Rick Pitino’s final recruiting class at Louisville, although he never played for Pitino, who was fired before the 2017-18 season began.
Perry picked Louisville over Georgia, Alabama, Florida State, Iowa State, Memphis, Miami, Minnesota and Virginia Tech. He was ranked the No. 79 player and the No. 16 point guard in the Class of 2017.
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