Beginning his third season at the helm of the boys basketball program, head coach Sam Duane has a lot of reasons to be optimistic. He has 3-returners from a 2017-18 squad that finished second in the 6A Premier Region (13-13, 5-3), and this year’s team boasts something Perry has rarely seen – size in and out of the paint.

The Pumas will look to use their length and experience to their advantage this season as the team is comprised of majority seniors. The Pumas length will be critical to their success this season as they boast eight players measuring 6’5” or better. They will look to use this newfound length to get back to the playoffs for the second year in a row.

The team will return three key players in guard Jalen Williams, forward Kyle Patterson, and guard Bauer Bongard. A three-year starter, Williams led the conference in points per game with 21.1 last year, leading the second place finisher who tallied 14.6 points. His season high last year was a 41 point performance against Horizon. Taking home Premier Region Offensive Player of the year he has committed to play college basketball at Santa Clara University.

Forward Kyle Patterson will also take on a key role this season as one of the vital components to the team. The senior earned first team All-Premier honors last year for his work averaging 14 points and 8 rebounds.

Another returning All-Premier player is senior Bauer Bongard, who averaged eight points and five rebounds per game last season.

The majority of the length for the team will come into play with the newcomers. Carter Van Hammond, a 6’10” sophomore, will see an expanded role on this years team. As will 6’9” freshman Dylan Anderson who has already received an offer from all four division one universities in Arizona. Then one player who will see an expanded role this season is senior, Andrew Morrill who saw his efforts last year awarded with a Premier Region honorable mention.

The Pumas will open their season in late November as they seek the first state championship in program history.