Alex Perry remembered waking up every day to a hoops dream.
He was 6 feet 5, a junior at Port Charlotte High in Florida, and a member of an Adidas travel squad that played in basketball tournaments across the country. “We played the best players every game, day in and day out,” Perry recalled. “It was a lot of fun.”
One of his teammates was Ven-Allen Lubin, a 6-foot-8 forward at North Carolina after stops at Notre Dame and Vanderbilt. Others are now on rosters at Mississippi State, Florida and Kansas. As a wing defender who also could play the point, Perry relished navigating screens and invading opposing shooters’ personal space.
“I wasn’t much of a scorer on my team,” Perry said. “I was a defensive player.”
And then, Perry had to choose between two loves: basketball or football.
“Being a 6-5 receiver is just a little different from being a 6-5 basketball player,” said Perry, whose goals pressed more toward the gridiron. “Football felt more natural.”
It was UH receivers coach Jared Ursua who identified Perry’s potential as a wideout. Perry had the right moves: the burst off the line, the stutter-shuffle, and the go-stop-blur extra gear.
His pass catching was a byproduct of his cross-over handles as a point guard. “A basketball and football are basically the same thing for me,” he said. “It’s just putting the ball in my hands.”
While tall receivers appear to be a nanosecond slower because of their long strides, Perry runs with violent, ground-pounding speed. “I think it was my track experience,” said Perry, who competed in the Junior Olympics as a middle schooler. “I always had a nice stride. I always felt I could run like a small guy.”
During his first UH training camp in 2022, Perry often was involved in heat-of-the-moment, hold-me-back skirmishes. “A lot of times in fall camp, you get competitive after a couple weeks,” Perry said.
But Perry now has matured into a reliable leader. Part of that growth comes from his mother, Alissa Perry, a college professor who was her son’s math teacher in high school. She expected diligence and hard work from her students.
Perry also gained patience after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee in January. He did not participate in the Rainbow Warriors’ spring training.
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“It was frustrating watching spring ball, for sure,” Perry said. “I knew I had to keep working on the side.”
Unable to sprint, Perry focused on catching passes from the JUGS machine. He also studied teammates’ routes. “Seeing the coverage before they could see it,” he said. “Everything you can see from the eye in the sky versus being actually on the field.”
Perry is now paying it forward. He shares tips — and the food his mother ships from Publix and Zacks Wings — with younger receivers.
“Going into the third year, I know the younger guys look up to me,” Perry said. “I can’t make the same mistakes I made in the past being a young guy. I have to show them and lead by example.”
Scouting report
Wideouts Steven McBride and Chuuky Hines are no longer on the roster, but the Warriors still are nearly three deep at the four receiver positions. Wideouts Alex Perry and Jonah Panoke are backed by Tylan Hines, who moved from running back, Kentucky transfer Dekel Crowdus (4.3 seconds over 40 yards), Karsyn Pupunu and Spencer Curtis. Pofele Ashlock and Koali Nishigaya lead a group of slots that includes Nick Cenacle and Tamatoa Mokiao-Atimalala. In some sets, tight end Devon Tauafea aligns in the slot or as a third wideout.
At this position
Wideouts
6 Dekel Crowdus 5-11 170 Jr.
14 Spencer Curtis 5-11 180 Sr.
2 Tylan Hines 5-7 175 So.
1 Jonah Panoke 6-1 200 Sr.
0 Alex Perry 6-5 195 So.
11 Karsyn Pupunu 6-2 205 Sr.
82 Tama Uiliata 5-11 190 Fr.
Slotbacks
5 Pofele Ashlock 6-2 175 So.
3 Nick Cenacle 6-2 195 Jr.
8 Tamatoa Mokiao-Atimalala 5-10 190 Sr.
23 Koali Nishigaya 5-7 165 Sr.
Tight end
87 Devon Tauaefa 6-5 200 So.
