Shocker basketball Hall-of-Famer Jason Perez catches team in hometown San Antonio
It’s been 25 years since Jason Perez scored the final points of his illustrious career on the Wichita State men’s basketball team, but his passion for the Shockers has not diminished.
Perez, a Shocker Sports Hall of Famer and the program’s sixth all-time leading scorer, made sure to be in attendance this past Saturday in his hometown of San Antonio to watch Wichita State in an 88-75 loss at UTSA.
He still watches the Shockers whenever they are on television, but being at a game in person was a different experience. It reminded him of the passion of WSU fans, as about 100 of them made the trip to San Antonio to cheer on their team.
“My favorite memory (about WSU career) was the community,” Perez said. “They brought me in. The fans there are so awesome and they’re some of the best fans in the country. I hope Koch Arena can get back to having a bigger crowd soon. But I’ve always been appreciative of the fan base and the support that they gave.”
Perez played for WSU from 1996-00 and originally signed to play for Scott Thompson, but ended up spending all four years playing for Randy Smithson. The Shockers never won big during his career, but Perez remains a fan favorite due to his pure scoring ability. No Shocker has averaged more points in a season since Perez’s 20.2 scoring average during the 1999-00 season. The only players who scored more in a career than him were Cleo Littleton, Xavier McDaniel, Dave Stallworth, Antoine Carr and Cheese Johnson.
He was a three-time all-Missouri Valley Conference performer, finishing runner-up for Player of the Year during his senior year, and finished his career as the all-time steals leader with 222 total. While Fred VanVleet (225) eventually pass him, he did so in 24 more career games, as Perez (1.90 per game) remains the program’s all-time leader in steals per game by a healthy margin. He also stands second all-time in career minutes (3,905).
Perez said he has remained friends with former teammate Carl Lemons, who was in the same recruiting class as him and played all four years together with him in the backcourt.
Perez, 47, still stays in shape and chuckled when asked if he could still stroke a few 3-pointers for the Shockers.
“Of course, but when you get older, it’s maybe not as consistent,” Perez said with a laugh. “I feel like in today’s game, the players are more athletic, but the IQ, I don’t see it. If these guys watched me play, they’d be like, ‘Man, he’s boring.’ But hey, I got the job done. At the end of the day, as long as the ball goes in the hoop, that’s all that matters.”
Perez spent time in Wichita after his playing days for the Shockers, launching Next Level Hoops Academy and eventually Wichita Hoops, which opened in 2014. But Perez moved back to San Antonio in 2016 and has since continued his life in basketball as a coach, trainer and now owner.
Perez recently bought a franchise, the San Antonio Clutch, in The Basketball League and the team is set to open its inaugural season in March and play its home games at St. Mary’s University.
“I’ve always viewed basketball as a tool,” said Perez, who will also coach the team. “I was able to use it to get a college degree. I’ve been able to travel the world. I’ve always been very appreciative of everything it’s done for me.”
Perez stuck around after the game to introduce himself to WSU head coach Paul Mills, a Houston native, and the two shared a short conversation about their Texas basketball roots. Perez, wearing a gray Shocker hoodie, will also have plenty of new WSU attire to wear after being handed a bag full of gear by WSU chief of staff Ryan Hillard after the game.
The Shockers (10-6, 0-3 AAC) return for a critical homestand for a potential turnaround this week, which begins with a 6:30 p.m. game Tuesday against last-place Charlotte at Koch Arena.
Perez said he’ll be watching as he hopes to see Mills restore WSU back to national relevance someday.
“I always tell people that we laid the foundation,” Perez said. “Then (Mark) Turgeon came in and framed it up and then (Gregg) Marshall came in and took it to a new level. Hopefully coach Mills can bring it back to the good old days, and I’m talking the days of the Bookends (Cliff Levingston and Antoine Carr).”
Wichita State vs. Charlotte basketball preview
Records: Charlotte 7-10, 0-4 AAC; WSU 10-6, 0-3 AAC
When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Koch Arena (10,506), Wichita, Kan.
How to watch: ESPN+ (Shane Dennis with Bob Hull)
Radio: KEYN, 103.7-FM (Mike Kennedy with Dave Dahl)
Series history: Charlotte leads 1-0 (First meeting in Wichita)
Betting line: No odds yet
KenPom says: WSU 79, Charlotte 70
Projected starting lineups
Wichita State Shockers (10-6)
Pos. | No. | Player | Hometown | Ht. | Wt. | Year | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
G | 11 | Justin Hill | Houston, Texas | 5-11 | 191 | Sr. | 13.8 | 3.3 | 3.2 |
G | 1 | Xavier Bell | Wichita, Kan. | 6-2 | 192 | Sr. | 14.9 | 3.1 | 1.3 |
G | 0 | A.J. McGinnis | Huntsville, Ala. | 6-3 | 178 | Sr. | 4.1 | 0.6 | 0.3 |
F | 6 | Corey Washington | Little Rock, Ark. | 6-5 | 188 | Jr. | 13.0 | 7.1 | 0.7 |
C | 15 | Quincy Ballard | Syracuse, N.Y. | 6-11 | 251 | Sr. | 11.0 | 8.1 | 0.3 |
Coach: Paul Mills, second season, 25-25
Charlotte 49ers (7-10)
Pos. | No. | Player | Hometown | Ht. | Wt. | Year | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
G | 10 | Nik Graves | Durham, N.C. | 6-3 | 195 | Jr. | 16.8 | 4.5 | 3.1 |
G | 22 | Jaehshon Thomas | Aurora, Ill. | 6-3 | 195 | Jr. | 10.3 | 3.9 | 1.8 |
F | 20 | Robert Braswell | Jacksonville, Fla. | 6-7 | 210 | Sr. | 11.8 | 2.4 | 0.5 |
F | 77 | Nika Metskhvarishvili | Tbilisi, Georgia | 6-8 | 225 | Sr. | 2.9 | 1.8 | 0.6 |
| C | 21 | Dean Reiber | Greensboro, N.C. | 6-10 | 235 | Sr. | 4.1 | 3.3 | 1.5 |
Coach: Aaron Fearne, second season, 26-22
This story was originally published January 13, 2025 at 2:05 PM.
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