By: Wichita State
Jason Perez is the 27th men's basketball player or coach to be inducted in the Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame.
Perez was a three-time All-Valley selection (1998 HM, 1999 2nd; and 2000 1st) and the only four-time Wichita Eagle Most Valuable Award winner.
He finished his career as the leader in all-time steals with 222, and three-pointers with 196. His 1,839 career points ranked sixth on the all-time scoring list. He is still the all-time steals leader and still ranks sixth in scoring. The Valley's Freshman of the Year and an All-Newcomer team selection in 1997, Perez was also a two-time Cessna Classic MVP.
He was runner-up for Valley Player of the Year as a senior. He was the Shockers' first All-Valley first team selection in nine years when he was selected in 2000, and is one of only 13 Shockers to be honored three times.
“It is a great honor and accomplishment to be inducted into the Hall of Fame," Perez said. “It is something that is not earned on your own, though. I had tremendous help from my coaches and teammates during my playing days. It is an honor to be part of this exclusive club and to see all of the other names that are in the Hall of Fame makes me very happy to become a member.”
When the time came for Perez to sign to play college basketball during his senior year at Marshall High in San Antonio, Texas, he knew right away that he was wanted to be a Shocker.
“The main reason why I wanted to come to Wichita State is because I wanted to play for coach Scott Thompson. He recruited me the best out of everyone and that showed me how committed he was. I felt like I owed him because of the effort he gave to get me here. I was very fortunate though, that after Coach Thompson resigned, Randy Smithson honored my scholarship. I am very thankful he decided to do that.”
Although his transition from the high school game to the college game went very smooth, Perez noted that the differences and speed of the game caught him by surprise.
“Going into my freshman year, I was surprised with how much faster the college game is in all phases. The college game is a business. It is completely different from high school and that caught me off guard. I was surrounded by talented players at Wichita State, when I was used to being the best player on the team the year before. It is the coaches job to recruit talent and I was fortunate to be in the position that I was in. I saw myself become more competitive because I had my teammates constantly challenging me and making me better everyday.”
After his freshman year, Perez saw his responsibilities grow and leadership strengthen. During his sophomore and junior seasons, Perez saw his point averages increase to 13.5 points per game and 16.8 points per game, respectively. Perez was a leader on the court for his team and his work ethic showed it. His shooting percentage went from .430 his freshman year to .504 his junior year, and in fact, saw his total number of steals, rebounds, and field goal attempts all increase from his freshman year to his junior year.
Perez's senior year was the most successful of his Shocker career. He averaged 20.2 points and seven rebounds per game; he shot 78.3 percent from the free-throw line, and totaled 67 steals in 29 games, all career highs.
Throughout Perez's career, he collected a number of accolades and honors but Jason is quick to recognize that they are not earned solely on individual efforts.
“They are awards and honors that I am obviously proud of, but what it really means to me is that my teammates trusted me during our games. They expected me to deliver for them and I did everything I could to do that. You don't earn an award by yourself. I truly believe that saying, and I think my college playing days is a perfect example of that. I could not have done any of this without them by my side or backing me up.”
Perez shared many stories about his playing days as a Wichita State Shocker, but looking back on his years, there is one story he appreciates more than the rest.
“The relationships and friendships that I was able to form during my time at Wichita State is something that I will always cherish. I am truly honored to be a Shocker and want to thank everybody who was there for me during my basketball career. One of the biggest things that I will never forget though, is how my parents were able to make probably 90 percent of my home games even though they were 10 hours away. I didn't realize how special that was at that time, but now having kids of my own, it makes me realize how fortunate I was to have my parents at all of those games.”
Jason Perez finished his career averaging 15.7 points and 5.6 rebounds. He totaled 222 steals, and dished out 298 assists in 117 total games. The San Antonio, Texas native joins an exclusive club of Wichita State athletes and will forever be remembered as a Shocker great.
