Marcus Perry Season 2004-05

2005-06 (Redshirt Junior)
Marcus Perry had a solid first season on the floor with the Huskers. He finished the year ranked fourth on the squad with 31 3-pointers and averaged 4.2 points per game while coming off the bench in 31-of-32 contests.

Perry missed the Chicago State contest when he was excused to be with his wife, who gave birth to their second daughter the day before. He returned to the squad for the next game two days later when he scored a career-high 13 points off the bench against North Carolina A&T. Perry hit three shots from the floor, including a pair of 3-pointers against the Aggies and nailed 5-of-6 attempts from the charity stripe to post his first career double-figure scoring game.

Perry had his only foray into the starting lineup against Missouri at home when he played a career-high 22 minutes. Perry struggled a little over the next three games, but then hit his stride down the stretch to help Nebraska reach the postseason for the second time in three years.

Over the final 11 games of the season, Perry hit 44.0 percent (22-of-50) from the field, including an impressive 47.5 percent (19-of-40) from 3-point range. Before his strong finish, Perry had hit just 12-of-46 (26.7 percent) from beyond the arc in his first 21 games.

Perry played a large role in Nebraska advancing to the semifinals at the Big 12 Championship. During the tournament, he hit 9-of-16 (56.3 percent) from the floor and 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) from 3-point range, including a perfect 3-for-3 effort from long range in Nebraska's second victory of the season over a nationally ranked Oklahoma squad. Perry finished with nine points against the Sooners and came back in the semifinals to play 21 minutes while adding 10 points and two steals against Kansas.

 

2004-05 (Junior)
Perry redshirted during his first season with the Huskers. He practiced with the team but did not play in any games.

 

Before Nebraska
A first-team all-region and honorable-mention All-America selection in 2003-04, Perry ranked seventh nationally (NJCAA Division I) in scoring by averaging 25.4 points per game for Southern Union State Community College under Coach Ron Radford. He added 4.1 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 1.8 assists as a sophomore.

Perry hit 42.0 percent from the field, and ranked third on the team by hitting 75.2 percent from the free throw line. Southern Union State ranked 15th nationally as a team by hitting 38.1 percent from beyond the arc, while connecting on 69.7 percent from the charity stripe to rank 18th in the country.

Perry hit 107 3-pointers on the year while connecting on 39.5 percent from beyond the arc. He recorded at least six treys in a game six times.

Perry helped his 2003-04 Southern Union State CC squad to a 19-13 record and a tie for fourth place (9-7) in the 11-team Alabama Community College Conference. SUSCC ended the year by reaching the semifinals of the NJCAA Region XXII Tournament before falling to the eventual champion.

Perry recorded a season-high 46 points on 16-of-28 shooting from the floor, including 8-of-16 from 3-point range, against Wallace State-Hanceville. He scored at least 30 points nine times in 2003-04 and reached the 40-point plateau twice. His last 30-plus point effort came against Marion Military Institute when Perry poured in 37 points on 12-of-21 shooting, including 10 3-pointers.

In the classroom, Perry earned the Southern Union State CC academic award as he graduated with a 3.1 grade-point average.

Perry led Anniston High School to the 2002 Alabama 5A state title as a senior, helping the team to a 26-8 record. He averaged 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists per game to earn all-state honors while being named the regional tournament and Calhoun County MVP.

 

Personal
The son of Linda Heflin and Kevin Perry Sr. and the grandson of Florette Perry, Marcus was born Feb. 10, 1984, and has two sisters, Samon Byrd and Latishia Perry, and one brother, Kevin Perry Jr. Marcus is majoring in communication studies at Nebraska. He and his wife, Portia, have two daughters, Azzariah (4) and Akayla (born Dec. 16, 2005). Perry chose Nebraska over Kansas State, Mississippi and Tennessee.