“There is no point trying to make excuses — we have to get better in almost every possible way,” Perry boys basketball head coach Aaron Lyons said. “And we are not making any excuses, and are, instead, focused on improving steadily from the first game on.”
The 2018-2019 season was one everyone involved with it would just as soon forget. Perry struggled mightily, finishing 0-20 overall and either at the bottom or very near it in numerous statistical categories.
Chief among the areas in desperate need of attention are the 388 turnovers (63rd among 64 Class 3A schools) and woeful shooting percentages of 31.2 from the floor and only 43.1 from the foul line. Those numbers combined to find Perry outscored by 42.2 points per game — nearly 14 more points (28.8) than the team averaged scoring.
“We all remember how bad it was, but we are not going to dwell on it,” Lyons said. “Our approach is not to hide from those numbers but rather to look at them and say ‘this is where we start from’ and work on building from there.”
“It will be important for us to realize we are not suddenly going to go out and win 11-12 games,” he added. “We need to be patient and build up small successes everywhere we can, and those are what are going to lead us to some wins. I am confident we can do exactly that, and the guys think so, too.”
Lyons said he was encouraged by the club ball efforts of his team in the off season. He noted Perry was 1-8 in the summer of 2018 but finished 6-3 this year and were 5-1 in fall contests.
Brendan Ivory returns at guard, where he scored 143 points (13 per game) last season. He hit 10-of-31 3-point shots, sank a team-best 31-of-53 (58.5) foul shots and averaged 5.2 rebounds per game.
Fellow All-RRC choice Keghan West also returns for the Bluejays. He scored 116 points (5.8 ppg), pulled down 160 rebounds (eight per outing) and shot 51-of-110 (46.4) from the floor.
June Rey Reisberg will get the start at point guard, with Jordan Long and Avery Meister likely to cap the starting five.
Lyons praised Reisberg for “amazing work habits” noting he had made “big steps in improving his game on both ends” of the court.
Meister, the coach said, “was not a ‘stats’ guy” but one who makes valuable contributions with hustle, scrappy play and leadership, while Long brings much the same approach.
Senior Kato Dougan (98 points, 57 rebounds, 36 steals) is battling a shoulder injury, with his date of return uncertain. Also on the roster are Chase Archer, Jordan Ochoa, Gage Laws, Caden Steven and Collin Malmberg.
Lyons said others could earn varsity jerseys, but he was unsure just who the remainder would be.
“We will be working on that right up to the last minute, probably,” he said. “We had 41 guys come out for basketball between grades 9-12, and that is encouraging.”
“I will say what I said last year: ‘Michael Jordan isn’t walking into the gym’ so the fixes we need to make won’t happen overnight,” Lyons said. “I know that, and the guys know that. But we all also know this: we will be a much better team this year than last, maybe considerably better. Don’t be surprised if you see a few surprises.”
Perry opens their season tonight with a girls/boys twin set at Greene County. The Perry squads will then host Carroll Friday in their RRC opener. Both billings begin at 6 p.m.
