Perry good to go

When he committed to Washington back in 2005, Harvey Perry carried the reputation of being a physical defensive player who was strong and adept at slashing to the hoop and never backing down from anyone. However, a back injury sidelined him for much of his freshman season allowing him to sit and stew, preparing to take the Pac 10 by storm this coming winter.

“It was very difficult especially being my first year and having to sit out with an injury that’s something I didn’t want to go through but I guess everything happens for a reason,” Perry told Dawgman.com after a recent workout. “That gave me an extra learning year. Watching Brandon Roy and Bobby (Jones) and the seniors and seeing what they did and what I can help to make that team last year as good as we need to be this upcoming year.”

Being the competitor that he is, Perry said he was very close to pulling off his redshirt so he could help the team during their tournament run, although that plan never came to fruition.

“It was definitely close to happening,” Perry admitted. “I wanted to return a couple games before the tournament started. I think it just came down to waiting until next year because we didn’t know how many games we were going to play so that decision was very complicated.

“That injury was more of a learning experience for me and we did really well in the tournament and it helped my mental game as far as being in that type of environment and not having our fans there or as many fans as we have in a home-court game, so I’m not too sad about that situation.

“All athletes don’t want to sit out. Especially in the UConn game, that was a huge game, and sitting on the sidelines I felt there were things I could have done to help create plays to help change the outcome of the game. That’s just the competitive side of me though.”

Perry says his back is 100% heading into summer workouts and that he’s been taking part in open gyms for the past couple months. Now, he’s working on his game preparing for the long season that lies ahead.

“I’m an aggressive player on offense and defense,” Perry said. “I don’t know what my role is yet but being out there with the guys and bonding together and trying to get out there and being the greatest I can be is what I’m focusing on.

“I’m definitely looking forward to the season because I missed out on last season. The upcoming season is definitely going to be a very interesting one.”

Whatever happens, Perry is ready to go and is ready for the challenges ahead.

Harvey Perry Scout.com Profile