Mississippi Anthony Perez (13) and Sebastian Saiz (11) attempt to block in a game earlier this season. (File Photo | Logan Kirkland)
For the first 18 games of the year, junior Anthony Perez was an after thought. After having a significant role in his first two seasons, his role in the 2014-15 season greatly diminished. He spent most games buried on the end of the bench, his playing time became very seldom. Perez’s struggles shooting the basketball and his inability to defend left him with no way to contribute consistently for the Rebels.
Perez has always been a “hybrid” player.
He has the size of a forward but does not contain the physical attributes of a low post player. He, at times, has the shooting ability of a guard but not ball handling skills to fill a guard spot. Likewise, on the defensive end, Perez’s physical make up has made it difficult for him to find a place. He struggles defending against stronger players in the low post and does not posses the quickness to defend one-on-one in the back court. That all changed during the Florida game just over a week ago.
Perez entered the game midway through the second half against Florida. He popped off of a screen set for senior Jarvis Summers and quickly hit a three pointer to give Ole Miss a four point lead that proved to be a momentum swinger in a huge comeback win for the Rebels. This marked the beginning of the emergence of Anthony Perez. In the last three games, Perez has gone 5-11 from the three point range and pulled down nine rebounds.
Perez has seemingly found his role and has the potential to turn into a huge weapon for the Rebels off of the bench as they make a run at an NCAA Tournament berth. Perez’s size accompanied with his ability to shoot the basketball really allows him to stretch the floor at the 4 position. At 6-foot-9, 185 lbs., Perez creates quite a mismatch for opposing defenses.
If he can continue to shoot the three ball on a consistent basis, he will make the Rebels extremely difficult to defend. Perez could in theory play any position 2-4, making him an extremely versatile offensive weapon for Andy Kennedy. His ability to shoot accompanied by his length that lets him get to the rim makes Perez very dangerous coming off of ball screens. With an already very deep bench, Kennedy now has the luxury to play some very big lineups at times that can be a nightmare for opponents to try to guard.
On the defensive end, the amount of zone the Rebels have played this season, especially in conference play, has allowed Perez to fit in better on the defensive end of the floor. He can play any of the five slots in a very active 2-3 zone that the Rebels have primarily played this year. He also can cause many problems with his length at the top of a 2-2-1 half court trap that has proved successful for for Ole Miss. Being 6’9 with a long wingspan essentially allows Perez to play any position of any zone Andy Kennedy calls. This could prove to be a truly invaluable piece in March. What was once a glaring weakness for Perez could now be a very vital weapon for this team going forward.
Ole Miss ranks number one in the country in zone defense efficiency and can now become even tougher with Perez. If Perez’s man-to-man defense can improve, I see him having no problem staying in Andy Kennedy’s rotation.
According to Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology, the Rebels have now slid in the field of 68. There is much work left to do for Ole Miss with a crucial stretch of games coming. The emergence of Anthony Perez could prove to be an essential asset to Ole Miss’s NCAA tournament run.
