NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Missouri of last decade

8. Javonte Perkins – Saint Louis

We progress to another player who really found his footing starring in his home state. Perkins is a 6’6 guard originally from St. Louis who started his career at the junior college level. After two standout seasons at Southwestern Illinois, he ended up at Saint Louis, spending his final two collegiate seasons playing big minutes for the Billikens.

Arriving at Saint Louis, Perkins was the first guy off the bench during his junior season, putting up 15.0 points per game and playing an important role from the beginning. He was really coming into his own by season’s end, with a 33-point effort at Saint Joseph’s as the Billikens won their last five games of the season. Now a full-time starter, his senior year was just as impressive, averaging 17.1 points per game, including 32 points in an early win over LSU.

For that first season, Perkins was the A-10’s Sixth Man of the Year, while he was part of the All-A-10 teams both seasons, including Second-Team for that senior season. He led the conference in free throw percentage while also finishing top 10 in points and field goal percentage, establishing himself as an important piece in the Saint Louis offense. He tore his ACL and missed this past season, but he will return this upcoming season to take advantage of his bonus year from the pandemic.