Perry Proud Of All MSU Ties
December 04, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Joel Coleman
Former Bulldog thankful for his and his son’s time in Maroon and White.
STARKVILLE – Al Perry's name is scattered throughout the Mississippi State men's basketball record book. Nearly 45 years since the former Bulldog guard suited up in the Maroon and White, he's still among the school's all-time leaders in assists and steals.
On Saturday, Perry returned to the building where so much of his history was made. Perry is now an assistant coach with Mississippi Valley State, and prior to the Delta Devils' game against MSU at Humphrey Coliseum, Perry took the time to appreciate being back in Starkville.
"It's a good feeling," Perry said about an hour before tip-off. "I had such a good time here. It's always a good feeling to come back."
It was Perry's second time playing against his former team on their home floor as an assistant. He was also with MVSU when the Dawgs faced the Delta Devils back in 2020.
Whenever Perry is back around, he's able to see how far Starkville has come since his playing days that spanned from 1975-78.
"The progression here in Starkville is great," Perry said. "I can remember when we just had one hotel here and a couple of restaurants. But now, it's really grown so much and that shows the type of support that the alumni and people of this community have for Mississippi State."
The visits to Starkville might be infrequent these days for Perry, but it was only a couple of years ago when he was zeroing in on everything happening at The Hump. Perry is the father of former Bulldog forward Reggie Perry, who played from 2018-20 and was a dominating force down low for State. Reggie helped lead MSU to the NCAA Tournament in 2019 and won a Southeastern Conference Co-Player of the Year award the following season.
Reggie was a second-round selection in the 2020 NBA Draft and has since played in 36 career NBA games with three different teams. These days, Reggie is in the NBA G League with the Raptors 905 – an affiliate of the Toronto Raptors.
No matter where Reggie goes, his dad cherishes the fact the two will forever share a Bulldog bond.
"It was really exciting," Al said of Reggie following in his father's footsteps to MSU. "He looked at all his options and when it came down to it, he remembered as a youngster coming [to State] during the camps and watching the games and just felt like this was the right place for him."
Part of the reason Reggie was so good in the post for State was an attribute he learned courtesy of his bloodline. Reggie's nearly seven-foot-tall frame didn't hint at the fact he was always just fine whenever and wherever the basketball was in his hands. That skill was a testament to his dad.
"I think from a young age, he was taught how to see the floor from a guard's perspective based on the fact I was a guard," the elder Perry said of his son. "A good friend of mine told me from the very beginning, if [Reggie] had good ball-handling skills to let him face the basket. We could always teach him how to play in the post. That's one thing that [MSU assistant coach] George Brooks and [former State head coach] Ben Howland had done for him was to teach him how to play in the post because he hadn't played that way until he got here. It was good to see him succeed at it. He had great ball-handling skills and had a good stroke. That came from him as a youngster playing out front as a guard, then coming here and being able to develop his game completely."
One of the other men responsible for developing Reggie? Well, it just so happened to be the individual who first topped Al's once-school-record 510 career assists. Al now sits third all-time behind both Dee Bost and Derrick Zimmerman. But it was Zimmerman who initially passed Al in the early 2000s before joining the Bulldog coaching staff during Howland's tenure and going on to train Reggie. Al counts that as one of his best memories of being a part of the Mississippi State family.
"It took almost 30 years for someone to break my record, then [Zimmerman] does it and trains my son," Al said. "That was really gratifying and kept a smile on my face."
Smiles seem to be common for Al when he thinks back to all MSU has done for him. He had on Delta Devil green Saturday, but below all that was a heart still shaded Maroon.
"[Mississippi State] gave me an opportunity to see another side of the world," Al said. "Coming from New York and coming to Mississippi, it was a different environment and it taught me a lot. I had some great memories here. It's such a great place."