SEC Basketball: Reggie Perry, Johnny Juzang rising stars for 2019-20

Reggie Perry was fantastic at FIBA U19 World Cup where he earned MVP honors while helping Team USA to another gold medal. He along with another SEC player in Johnny Juzang have had great summers.

Mississippi State forward Reggie Perry had a solid freshman campaign for the Bulldogs last season. And if the 19-year-old continues to show improvement like he did at the FIBA World Cup in Greece this past week, he could be in for a huge year in 2019-20.

Perry led Team USA in scoring (13.1), rebounding (7.9) and blocks (1.0) while also adding (1.8 ) assists along with (1.4) steals in under 22 minutes of action. He scored in double-figures in five of the team’s seven contests, including 10 points in the U.S.’s 93-79 gold-medal victory over Mali. The 6-9, 19-year-old topped the 20-point mark twice and produced one double-double. The rising sophomore also shot 50% from the field, 25% (2 of 8) from beyond the arc and 70% (14 of 20) from the free throw line.

“It (MVP) means a lot,” Perry said following the win over Mali. “I put in a lot of work, but I have to give credit to my teammates too. They helped me out throughout the entire process. Coach [Bruce] Weber and all the coaches helped me out throughout the entire tournament, so, I just want to give everyone credit.”

The U.S., which averaged nearly 101 points a game and had a margin of victory over 28 points, won its third U19 gold medal in the past four events after finishing third in the 2017 event. The red, white and blue is now 98-14 all-time in action and has won seven gold medals, three silvers, and one bronze.

Joining Perry on the all-tournament was Iowa State rising sophomore Tyrese Haliburton as well as France’s Joel Ayayi and Mali’s Oumar Ballo and Siriman Kanoute.

The former consensus five-star recruit earned All-SEC Freshmen honors this past season as he compiled  9.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks.  He scored in double-figures 17 times and grabbed double-digit rebounds on 11 occasions, resulting in nine double-doubles.

Perry entered his name into the 2019 NBA draft but ultimately decided to return to Starkville. Which was great news for head coach Ben Howland as Perry along with Abdul Abo, Nick Weatherspoon, Tyson Carter, and Robert Woodard give him a lot of talent.

Kentucky’s Johnny Juzang has impressed in summer workouts

Johnny Juzang was a surprise addition to the Kentucky Wildcats’ 2019 recruiting class as he reclassified in late April and then took a visit to Kentucky before deciding that Lexington was the place he wanted to be. According to KSR Matt Jones, Juzang has impressed during the team’s summer workouts so far.

"“Spoke to a source this morning that says the surprise of the early UK Basketball workouts is Johnny Juzang…..playing great and MUCH better than people thought.”"

Juzang is expected to be an impact player from the start for the Wildcats. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he started. The North Hollywood (Calif.) native is known for his advanced skill set on the offensive end, particularly earning high marks for the ability to put the ball in the basket.

The 6-7 wing was a consensus top-35 player in the class. ESPN had him rated the highest at No. 29 while 247Sports Composite listed him at No. 32 and Rivals put him at No. 34.

I believe that the Wildcats starting lineup at the start of the season will be Ashton Haggans, Tyreese Maxey, Juzang, Nick Richards and Nate Sestina. With EJ Montgomery and Immanuel Quickley being the significant guys off the bench with Keion Brooks and Khalil Whitney also seeing some time.