Portrait of an Athlete

By DOUG EADS
Commonwealth Journal

Somerset May 29, 2007 04:08 pm

— He’s the kind of basketball player that every coach dreams of having in his starting lineup.
He’s the kind of basketball player that comes along maybe, every 10 to 15 years.
He’s very unique, in the sense that he brings so much versatility to the table. He can defend, rebound, shoot, pass, do it all.
But, more important than all of those qualities, he can just flat out score. He’s a pure scorer — a scoring machine. He’s an all-out beast on the hardwood.
He can beat an opponent by driving to the hole and finishing around the bucket. If you want to beat and bang down low with him in the paint, he can oblige by doing more than just holding his own.
And, he can take a defender out beyond the three-point arc, and wear it out.
He’s a very special talent. As a basketball player, pure and simple, he’s a load.
There are about 1,000 different adjectives that can be used to describe Pulaski County senior John Perkins, but maybe, the one adjective that can best describe the Maroons All-State candidate as he gets set to embark upon his senior year for the maroon and white, is
H-U-N-G-R-Y.
Make that, very hungry.
Perkins averaged 26 points per game last season as a junior for the Maroons, yet he didn’t even get a sniff on the AP’s All-State team from a year ago.
Yes sir, 26 points and 8 boards per game wasn’t good enough to even get an Honorable Mention on the All-State squad. Maybe some of the folks that have a ballot for that team ought to venture to the PC Gym for at least one game this season.
At least headed into this year, Perkins is getting just a little love from a few of the so-called experts.
In the Cats Pause preseason look at the 2006—’07 season inside the 12th Region, Perkins was voted and named as the number one rated player in the region.
Finally, a little respect
“I’m definitely motivated this year, because I think you have to go out every night and prove yourself,” pointed out Perkins. “When you’re rated that high, that’s a big achievement and I’m very proud of it, but I also want to go out there this year and show people that I’m worthy of being thought of that highly.”
Now, John Perkins isn’t the kind of player that worries about accolades, All-State lists, or anything like that.
This guy is about one thing and one thing only. That is winning, and getting his Maroon team to the Sweet 16 this year.
And, make no mistake about it, John Perkins is not only ready to have a monster senior year this season, but he’s out to show his critics, as well as the critics of Mark Flynn’s Maroon basketball team, that this is a team poised to make a serious run at a regional title.
“I feel pretty good right now about our team,” said Perkins. “I’m in pretty good shape, and so is everybody else. We’re excited about the upcoming season.”
“If everybody stays healthy this year, I think we’ve definitely got a shot to make it to Rupp,” pointed out Perkins, in referring to the Sweet 16 State Basketball Tournament. “I think the region is wide open this year, and I think there are about five or six teams that can definitely make some noise this year, and can win the 12th Region. And, I think we’re one of those teams.”
Perkins, who transferred to Pulaski County after his freshman season at Wayne County, where he helped lead coach Rodney Woods’ club to a 12th Regional title, has made the most of his move to PC.
Perkins has already eclipsed the 1,000 point mark in his two seasons playing for the Maroons, and he is indeed, the go-to player on this team when his club needs a bucket.
In last year’s magical post season run by Pulaski County, when the Maroons won the 47th District Basketball Tournament at Casey County with back to back thrilling wins over the home-standing Rebels and Rockcastle County Rockets, it was John Perkins that put this club on his back, and almost single handily willed it to those two victories.
In the 63-60 win over Casey County in the first game of the district tourney, Perkins scored almost half of his team’s points, pouring in a game-high, 29 points, which included the game winning shot, as he took the ball in a 60-60 affair with :7.2 left, drove the ball to the hole and was fouled, completing the three-point play for the win.
In the championship game against Rockcastle County, it was Jacob Floyd’s three-pointer at the buzzer that gave the Maroons a thrilling, 62-61 victory, but it was 24 points by John Perkins that led the way.
In fact, the Maroons trailed the Rock late in that contest, 59-55, but Perkins, who would not be denied on that particular night in Liberty, drove the ball to the hole on back to back possessions, to get his club back even with Rockcastle County, at 59-59, even making it possible for Floyd to wear the laurel of hero.
And, maybe what’s a bad sign for future PC opponents this upcoming season, is the fact that John Perkins didn’t play football this fall.
Instead, he’s been in the gym working hard on improving his game and his basketball skills, and he isn’t coming into a basketball season for the first time in his storied prep career, with all the bumps and bruises and the toll that a football season can take on a body.
In short, John Perkins is 100 percent healthy, as he gets set for his senior year.
“It’s going to help conditioning wise, and my all-around basketball skills,” stated Perkins. “Getting my touch back is a big deal, and just being able to be in here in the gym and working on my game is hopefully, going to pay off this season.”
The payoff for John Perkins this season, will be taking his Pulaski County Maroons to Rupp Arena to the Boy’s Sweet 16 State Basketball Tournament at the end of the season, as the champions from the 12th Region.
Personal glory and accolades aside, anything less this season at Pulaski County High School will be a disappointment for the 12th Region’s fiercest and most competitive basketball player.
Yes, John Perkins is a very hungry basketball player as the season approaches, and number 33 is setting his sights on one big feast throughout this season.

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