Missouri basketball: Analyzing incoming transfers for the 2024-25 season

Tony Perkins

Missouri needed a primary ball handler with Sean East II and Nick Honor exhausting their eligibility. To fill that gap Missouri signed Tony Perkins out of Iowa. Perkins, a 6’4 point guard, spent the past four years as a Hawkeye before joining Mizzou. Perkins has a ton of experience, he played in 126 games during his time at Iowa including multiple NCAA Tournament games. 

Perkins was the second-leading scorer for a good Iowa offense, averaging 14 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He was a reliable scorer for the Hawkeyes, hitting double-digit points in 27 of 34 games, with a season-high of 25 points in a loss to Wisconsin early in Big Ten play. 

It’s easy to see why Missouri was interested in Perkins. He is a solid point guard with a ton of experience against some of the best teams in the county. But more than that, he is the facilitator that Dennis Gates has been searching for the past couple of seasons. He does a good job keeping his eyes up, searching for any openings to get the ball to his teammates. Perkins recorded a season-high 15 assists last year in a win over Nebraska. As a team, Missouri only recorded 15 or more assists in a game six times. So Perkins's passing ability will be a huge boost to Missouri’s offense. 

Offensively Perkins likes to push the pace and does a great job of getting to the rim on fast breaks. He made just under 47 percent from inside the arc last season, but his shooting gets a little less reliable the further out he goes. Each year at Iowa Perkins increased the number of three-pointers he attempted. He shot just over two a game this last year, but he only connected on 29.9 percent of those shots. He was a 33 percent three-point shooter before this last season, and with Dennis Gates's track record with improving his players from behind the arc, I think Perkins can become a more consistent three-point threat. 

Defensively Perkins has a lot of upside. His defensive numbers at Iowa didn’t jump off the box score, but much like Mizzou, defense wasn’t necessarily a priority for the Hawkeyes. Perkins has enough length to disrupt passing lanes. He is also quick enough to stay in front of the person he is defending, but big enough to avoid getting caught in pick-and-rolls. His size also allows him to hold his own when he switches on to bigger players. 

On paper Perkins is a perfect point guard for Gates' system. There aren’t any questions about whether his game will translate to the SEC since he has played in one of the best college basketball conferences for the past four years. I like this addition and expect that he will fit seamlessly into this Missouri roster.