STARKVILLE – Mississippi State’s Reggie Perry, the only player to rank among the SEC’s top 10 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and blocks in 2019-20, has entered his name for the 2020 NBA Draft announced Sunday.
Perry totaled 868 points, 557 rebounds, 61 blocks and 26 double-doubles over his two seasons in the Maroon and White. The 868 points are fourth-most for a MSU player during their freshman and sophomore seasons only behind Jamont Gordon, Ray White and Rickey Brown. The 557 rebounds are the highest two-year total for a MSU player since Jarvis Varnado in 2008-09 and 2009-10 and ranked inside the program’s top 30.
Perry aims to make it back-to-back seasons for Mississippi State with a NBA Draft selection. Quinndary Weatherspoon was chosen by the San Antonio Spurs last season.
Perry posted 17.4 points (6th), 10.1 rebounds (1st) and 1.2 blocks (9th) per game during his sophomore campaign and drained 50.0 percent of his field goal attempts which ranked fourth on the SEC leaderboard. He improved his marks to 19.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game during SEC action.
Perry was the eighth SEC player over the last decade to average a season double-double. The last MSU players to post season double-double averages were Jarvis Varnado (2009-10) and Arnett Moultrie (2011-12). Among those on the SEC’s list are NBA standouts Anthony Davis and Julius Randle from Kentucky along with LSU’s Ben Simmons.
Perry, a Karl Malone Award top 5 finalist given to the nation’s top power forward by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, has already been named consensus All-SEC First Team in addition to National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) All-District accolades. He claimed SEC Co-Player of the Year by the Associated Press and was the Bailey Howell Trophy recipient awarded to the state of Mississippi’s top collegiate player.
Perry became the 17th player overall and seventh player to amass 500-plus points during their sophomore season or earlier in program history. He racked up all 11 of his 20-plus point performances where the Bulldogs posted a 9-2 record since the Kent State game on 12/30. Perry’s 10 outings of 20-plus points against SEC opponents were second on the conference leaderboard.
Perry collected a SEC-leading 17 double-doubles this season highlighted by 13 double-doubles over his last 20 games since 12/22. He was one of six Power 5 players to average a double-double in 2019-20. The 17 double-doubles also were fourth among Power 5 players this season and tied for fourth-most by a MSU player since 1972-73. Nine of his double-doubles were of the 20-plus point, 10-plus rebound variety. The nine 20-10 games also were fourth among Power 5 players this season and third-most by a MSU player dating back to 1972-73.
Perry’s 26 career double-doubles were tops among SEC active players, and the most by a MSU player during their freshman and sophomore seasons since 1972-73 when freshmen become eligible to play college basketball.
Mississippi State won 11 of its last 15 SEC games to earn a top 4 finish in the conference standings, the program’s highest overall finish since 2010-11. The Bulldogs have tucked away three consecutive 20-plus win seasons under Ben Howland for the fifth time in program history, and the first time dating back to the 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. The 68 victories are the fourth-highest total in program history for a three-year span.
