Dwight Perry, bottom right, with his team after beating Furman to reach the NCAA Tournament. (Wofford Athletics Photo)
It was no surprise that former Kentucky walk-on basketball player Dwight Perry said he was “excited” to be back in Rupp Arena guiding Wofford College in the NCAA Tournament tonight against Tennessee.
He noted that being part of the NCAA Tournament is “truly a blessing” and he felt the same way in 2007 when he got to start for Kentucky against Villanova in the United Center in Chicago in UK’s first tourney game that year.
No, he wasn’t supposed to start but the lineup was filled out with him starting instead of his cousin, Bobby Perry. Coach Tubby Smith had him fill immediately after the opening tip so he could put Bobby Perry in the game with Randolph Morris, Joe Crawford, Ramel Bradley and Derek Jasper. The Wildcats won 67-58.
“If nothing else, I’m excited to be undefeated as a starter in any UK career,” Perry said.
Perry joked Wednesday he had “no experience with any lineup card areas” in his life.
“We joke about it a lot. Every once in a while I’ll just ask. I think maybe I just get triggered randomly. And I’m like, ‘Hey, did we turn the lineup in?’ And without fail a couple of our coaches always joke and they say, oh, I think we forgot,” Perry said Wednesday.
“I remember a lot about that day. I was a freshman, and obviously as a freshman at Kentucky and walking on, my chances of playing in the main part of that game were very low. So I was excited. I had no pressure, no stress.
“We were playing Villanova in the United Center in Chicago where Michael Jordan played, so I’m taking it all in. And everything that happened between the horn sounding and the starting lineups taking place, it was fast. It was a blur. But my biggest thought in my head was do not mess this up. Do not be the reason we lose.”
Perry said he was looking forward to playing against Tennessee and something his program “relishes” knowing the national exposure it will bring Wofford.
Perry played in 19 games during his time at Kentucky from 2006-2009. He started his coaching career at Stanford as an intern before moving to Virginia Tech as a graduate assistant for three years. He spent five years as an assistant at Furman before Wofford hired him as an assistant in 2019 and two years later he was promoted to associate head coach. Perry was named interim head coach on December 5, 2022, and named the full-time coach on March 21, 2023.
The Wofford coach has not been back to Lexington a lot since his playing days because his coaching stints obviously overlap with Kentucky’s schedule.
“When there’s breaks, we will use that opportunity to get a break, my family as well,” Perry said. “I have been back just a handful of times. Anytime I come back, I feel like I see drastic changes in a good way, whether it’s the city, whether it’s obviously the arena, the building. It’s always great to see the changes that are taking place.
“But one thing that hasn’t changed, every time I’m back, it’s very welcoming. The people here are amazing. And no matter how many times you walk into this arena, you can feel the history and tradition that is Kentucky basketball.”
Perry said his walk-on years at UK, which included not having his name on his jersey, helped shape who he is today just like growing up in Durham, N.C., did.
“Coming here and being a part of the tradition that is Kentucky basketball, playing for the coaches that I played for and playing with the teammates that I played with, that definitely shaped who I am,” the Wofford coach said. “It made me resilient. It made me tough. Definitely sharpened my competitive edge and continued to ignite that competitive fire that I still have today and instill in the teams that we have today.
“So through all the good, the bad, the ups and downs, the adversity, the highs, the lows, I’m forever appreciative of my total experience here. Obviously there’s definitely great times, there were bad times, but I wouldn’t trade any of it because, to your point, it made me who I am today.
“I have memories and friendships that without being here I wouldn’t have, and those people are just as important, if not more, than any high or low that you could have in any college experience.”
Q. How much has Coach Perry talked to you about his experience in this building, and could you tell it means a little more coming back here this week?
Kentucky native Jackson Sivills transferred from Murray State to Wofford three years ago to play for Perry and knows it “means a lot to him” for him to be back in Rupp Arena.
“Obviously he has a lot of history in here and has a lot of pride playing at Kentucky. So it was very special for a lot of people to be able to come back to Lexington, definitely for him as well,” Sivills said.
Sivills and his teammates shared stories Wednesday of how Perry has helped them.
“I would say his continuing embrace of everyone on the team. I think that’s one of his very prominent skills as a coach. He’s always there for you to put his arm around you. He’s always going to make you feel welcome,” Sivills said. “I think he does that to everyone in the program, whether you’re a trash custodian or manager, player, starter, bench player, freshman, senior, he treats everyone the same. And that’s one of the qualities I really love about him.”
“He’s someone that has a large amount of care for everyone,” Wofford senior Kyler Filewich said. “And he’s grown, being more able to get honest, we’re not doing stuff right. It’s made us better in every way possible for sure.”
