L15 Jacques Perez

Backstory

Hailing from Region 10’s Daytona High School, Jacques Perez was a sure-fire, can’t miss prospect. The scouts were raving about him and his outstanding shooting touch, tenacity on the glass, and superior athleticism. Jacques had the total package and he put together an excellent senior year in high school, averaging 24.6 points per game, 2 blocks, and 8.2 rebounds while starting at center. He earned plenty of accolades in high school, including a spot on the McDonalds All-American Team and the #3 spot on Vickie D’s “Hot 10 Basketball Recruits” list. Jacques made it clear that he wanted to stay home, so he could be close to his friends and family, and he wanted to win in college. He attracted the eye of five different college teams, but the night before Signing Day he had his choice narrowed down to two schools, Jackson and Indianapolis. That fateful Saturday morning, Jacques put on the Jackson hat, teaming up with fellow freshman star Herbert Allen to form a potent one-two punch that would strike fear into the rest of League 15 for his entire time in a Highlander uniform.

Stats

Year	GM	MINs	FGM	FGA	3PM	3PA	FTM	FTA	REBs	ASTs	BLKs	STLs	TOs	PFs	PTs
Freshman	24	797	261	447	12	26	90	102	189	9	24	18	29	48	624
Sophomore	24	738	221	417	13	32	75	85	168	19	24	16	22	51	530
Junior	24	778	244	385	12	36	84	98	230	8	38	29	22	49	584
Senior	24	755	220	352	10	31	81	99	183	10	38	30	18	54	531
Career Totals	96	3068	946	1601	47	125	330	384	770	46	124	93	91	202	2269

Career

Immediately upon arriving on campus in Jackson, it was clear the Jacques had the talent to take the Highlanders to the next level. Jackson was a historically awful program that had snuck into the NTT the past few seasons, but had never made it out of the first round. Perez turned that around quickly. In his first regular season game, Jacques led Jackson to a 79-67 victory over Ames with 28 points and 8 rebounds, the first of many dominant performances. The Highlanders rolled to a 3-1 start in the Show Me Invitational and the start of C10 play when it was time for Myrtle Beach to come into town. The Shaggers were led by their own star freshman, Joe Hanson, and this would be the first clash of two of the premier League 15 players as the two friendly rivals dueled on and off the court, for wins, championships, and accolades. Aside from the NTT title, Jacques said his favorite memory “was beating Joe and Myrtle Beach 9 of 11 times.” Perez did not disappoint in his first game against MB either, producing his first ever double-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals, en route to a 77-63 win for Jackson.

As the season rolled on, the Highlanders kept on winning games, clinching both the C10 regular season and conference championships, thanks to Mr. Perez. Jacques led Jackson to a 16-2 record and a #1 seed in the NTT. Jacques came through in a huge way in the NTT opener, sealing the program’s first ever NTT appearance with a 24 point, 12 rebound performance. Behind his leadership, the team marched all the way to the Final Four, before falling to Casper by four points. Even in the defeat, Perez played outstanding, with 34 points and 9 rebounds. In the offseason, Jacques rolled in the awards, nabbing the League and Conference Freshman of the Year awards, the C10 Player of the Year, and First Team All-League and All-Conference. He had one of the most dominant freshman seasons that L15 has seen, with 26 points per game, 8 rebounds, and he shot 58% from the field. The Highlander faithful were stoked to see what the next three years would bring.

Between his freshman and sophomore years, his Jackson team went out and signed the 1/1 freshman class. These guys came in with a lot of talent and skill but there was no question who the leader on the team still was – big #1 Jacques held the reins of the squad. While his scoring average would never get up to the lofty 26.0 ppg of his freshman year due to a better supporting cast, Jacques continued to post dominant numbers. Jacques’s sophomore year was probably his worst in a Highlander uniform, and he still scored 22.1 points per game, 7 rebounds, and shot 53%. Perez won his second C10 Player of the Year award, and dropped to a 2nd Team All-League award-winner. Jacques also led the Highlanders to another Final Four, but again the fell just short, this time losing by one point to Lexington.

Jacques’s junior year will be his most fondly remembered for both his elevated all-around game and the team success that he brought, as well as his scintillating performance in one of the most exciting games I have ever seen. After thirteen games, the Highlanders sat with an 11-2 record, with a huge late-season clash against Joe Hanson and his Myrtle Beach Shaggers. At halftime, the score read 60-56 Jackson, and the fireworks were just getting started. By the time the dust settled in this overtime thriller, the Highanders clawed their way to a 121-111 OT win. Hanson had 48 points on 18/30, including 9 of 17 from three point land, while Jacques scored a career high 40 points on 15/22 shooting, 10/10 from the free throw line, and also added a career high in rebounds with 16. This game was an incredible duel between two outstanding ballplayers and it will be a while before we see fireworks like that again. Jacques led the Highlanders on a march into the NTT and a third straight Final Four appearance. This time, the squad was finally able to get over the hump and earn a berth in the title game with a 75*68 win over Houston, paced by Perez’s 23 points and 11 rebounds. In the championship game, Jacques would not be denied, scoring 27 points on 10 of 15 shooting, snatching 14 rebounds, and sending four shots flying into the bleachers as Jackson defeated Pasadena 92-79 and took home the NTT title! Jacques earned First Team All-League and First Team All-C10 honors for his terrific performance – 24.3 ppg and a whopping 9.6 rebounds, to go with 1.6 blocks per game and 0.9 steals.

Unfortunately, Jacques’s senior season did not quite reach the same heights as the previous seasons as the Highlanders were unable to reach a fourth straight Final Four. In the Sweet Sixteen, Jackson fell to eventual runner-up Detroit despite another great game from Jacques – 24 points on 10 of 14 shooting. Perez still led the Highlanders to another #1 ranking, a 21-3, and more individual accolades, winning First Team All-League and All-Conference awards. Jacques scored 22.1 ppg, added 7.6 boards, and 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals in his best defensive season of his career. Perez parlayed his incredible play into the #2 overall pick in the SIMBA draft, and surely will continue to terrorize opponents at the professional level.