Darius Perry is from Wheeler High School in Marietta GA. He is a 4 star point guard that is ranked as the # 48 overall prospect by ESPN and #75 overall prospect nationally and No. 16 point guard by Scout.com. Darius had many offers including Memphis, Miami, Georgia, Alabama, Xavier, Iowa State, Virginia Tech and Florida State. Darius will likely back up Q next season before taking over as the teams starting point guard. He is known for his tenacious defense and has been compared to Terry Rozier. He committed to Louisville on August 16th and signed November 9th.
He is currently a finalist for the McDonald’s All-American team along with Malik Williams who signed with Louisville just before Darius.
Q & A with Louisville commit Darius Perry
JN: All sites have you at 6’2” but different sites have your weight at 160, 170, and 185. What is your current weight and has Pitino told you what weight he wants you to be at when you arrive on campus?
DP: Currently I think I am a little over 170 last time I weighed myself I was 173. Coach Pitino told me that he wouldn’t try to make me much bigger but he would make me more lean, quicker and faster so I’d be able to play the style of basketball the way they play as well as possible. He added that if anything he would only have me gain about 5-7lbs and reach 180lbs.
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JN: Your dad is your AAU coach. After seeing a Louisville practice, how similar is your dad’s coaching style to Rick Pitino’s style?
DP: Their coaching styles are very similar. I actually saw a lot of my dad in Pitino.
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JN: Do you have any siblings that could be wearing a Cardinal jersey in the future?
DP: I have a little brother (16) and sister (9) but only my brother plays basketball. I’m not sure where he will end up, only time will tell.
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JN: It was reported that the decision to come to Louisville was made by you and your dad. Was there anyone else that was influential in your decision and what was the biggest factor that made you pick Louisville over everyone else?
DP: It was just me and my dad and the biggest thing about Louiville was their work ethics and coaching staff. I saw a lot of my dad in Pitino and the amount of work they put in on and off the court was great it felt like home.
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JN: It appears that you are going to be the point guard of the future. Quentin Snider is currently at that spot. What are looking forward to the most about learning from Q?
DP: He is a very steady but aggressive point guard and I know I could learn a lot from him. He has a high basketball IQ, can score the basketball but is great at getting his teammates involved also. I feel like if I can take some of his game and add it to mine it’ll help me develop into a great player.
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JN: How close were you to committing to Georgia and was there any other school that really intrigued you?
DP: I was a lot closer than people would like to believe. Everybody, including some schools that recruited me, felt like since Louisville was in the picture they had no chance but then I still left myself open to everything. I had a great relationship with the whole Georgia staff and it was very hard to tell them that they weren’t the school I was committing to when I finally came to my decision. I was also intrigued by Texas A&M, Miami, Memphis and Seton Hall.
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JN: Do you have any superstitions or routines that you must do before a game?
DP: I used to but I don’t anymore I feel like you’re going to play however you play regardless of what you do every game or before games. I used to read a verse from the Bible before the game and I’ll probably start doing that again but right now I don’t have any.
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JN:Favorite NFL, NBA, MLB teams?
DP: NBA team: Lakers
NFL: Panthers
MBL: I don’t have one but if I had to choose it would be the Red Sox
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JN: Do you have any pets?
DP: I used to have some dogs and cat but currently I don’t have any pets.
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JN: How do you feel about clowns? Scared at all?
DP: No they don’t amuse nor scare me
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JN: Have you talked to Jordan, Lance and Malik since you all have signed? Did you know any of them before you signed?
DP: I knew all of them before I signed, I talk to Malik every now and then I’ve talked to Jordan once but I talk to Lance often but me and Lance have known each other forever.
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JN: I noticed you follow Romeo Langford on Twitter. Will you be trying to convince him to become a Cardinal so you guys can win a national championship together?
DP: I will talk to him about it every now and then but I don’t like potentially swaying someone’s decisions as long as he’s comfortable with where he chooses I am too. I follow a lot of my friends on twitter and he is one
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JN: Louisville fans are very knowledgeable basketball fans and they appreciate great defense. You are regarded as a tenacious defender. How does it make you feel to think of a sold out YUM Center giving a standing ovation after a great defensive possession?
DP: That would honestly be the greatest thing ever. Just the imagination gives me tingles, I would love it.
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JN: How old or what grade were you in the first time you dunked a basketball?
DP: 9th grade so I was about 15 I think.
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JN: Would you rather give a game winning assist, make game winning shot or have a Sportscenter worthy dunk?
DP: Sports center worthy dunk
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JN: Do you think a hot dog is a sandwich?
DP: No
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JN: What jersey number would you like to wear and does it have any significance?
DP: It doesn’t really matter but if I had to choose 2. It doesn’t mean anything I just like the number
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JN: What talents or hobbies do you have outside of basketball?
DP: I can draw a little bit and I do that every now and then. But I wouldn’t consider it much of a hobby.
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JN: What NBA player do you most often get compared to and why?
DP: Damian Lillard because he is a very good underrated and under appreciated point guard. He has the perfect mix of explosion and fundamental skill. His IQ is very high and he can score in bunches while also getting his teammates involved. And people who compare me to him see a lot of him in me and explain to me what he does that makes him so great and what I could do to become the type of player he is.
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JN: If money was no object, what car would you buy yourself?
DP: Audi, I wouldn’t have an extremely expensive car. I like to play and say how I’d own a Bugatti but even if I had the money I wouldn’t buy one. The most expensive car I would get is probably an Ashton Martin.
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JN: Muhammad Ali is Louisville’s greatest hero. His recent passing, while sad, really educated the younger generation of how great he was both in and out of the ring. What did you learn about Muhammad that you didn’t already know?
DP: I had already learned a lot from reading books about Muhammad Ali and in addition my dad is probably one of his biggest fans and would always give me little fun facts about him so there wasn’t much more to learn.
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JN: What are the 3 most played tracks on your MP3 player or IPhone and who is your favorite artist?
DP: The 3 most played tracks on my phone are “4 your eyes only” by J. Cole, “Solo” by Andre 3000 and “Everybody Dies” by J. Cole
* And my favorite artist is J.Cole
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JN: Most points scored in a game? DP: 35
Most assists in a game? 12
Most steals in a game? 7
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JN: Give me one interesting fact about you that not many people know.
DP: I don’t eat candy or any sweets at all. I don’t drink juice or anything with sugar or corn syrup or anything of that nature. I eat very very healthy. I only drink water and eat healthy foods. I try to stay as healthy as possible in order to take good care on my body off the court as well which will hopefully lead to more years of playing basketball in the end.
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You can follow Darius on Twitter: @carlekash
or on Instagram: _dariusthegreat
As Always, GO CARDS!
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