Perry starts to turn the corner

Junior guard becomes more coachable and comfortable

Chris Mack thinks Darius Perry has started to turn the corner.

The junior guard for Louisville men’s basketball had a quietly efficient performance in the annual Red White Scrimmage at the KFC Yum! Center Oct. 12. Perry finished 4 of 7 from the field for nine points and added five assists and two rebounds in 20 minutes.

Perry had an up-and-down sophomore year in Mack’s first year as Louisville’s head coach. Perry averaged 5.4 points and shot 40.2 percent from the field in 16.4 minutes per game. He tallied 50 assists, but also had 40 turnovers.

There were times last season that Perry wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do offensively and defensively, he said. That has changed this season.

“Last year I wasn’t as comfortable as I am this year,” Perry said. “Having a year under me with Coach Mack has been good for me. I can really tell the difference in my game.”

Perry has become consistent in Mack’s eyes. He credited Perry’s maturity and commitment to being the same player every day.

“He has always been a good player, he just has to understand what our team needs from him and deliver in that area,” Mack said. “He has been fun to coach.”

When Mack arrived at Louisville, he told Perry, who can play point guard or the off-ball guard spot, what he wanted out of him as a member of Louisville’s backcourt. Mack thinks Perry has become more coachable from his sophomore to junior year.

“He is mindful of when he makes a mistake, that he has to get out of his own way and not feel sorry for what just happened,” Mack said. “He proceeds onto the next play.”

Louisville changes its scrimmage teams in practice every few days. Mack purposefully puts Perry on teams that include the Cardinals’ six freshmen so he can learn to play through frustration.

“Knowing that he is going to be on a team where guys make a lot of mistakes is going to lead to frustration, lose a couple drills, being able to put him in those situations and see how he responds,” Mack said. “I think that will ultimately define Darius. I couldn’t be more pleased to this point and it’s got to be all throughout the year.”