Something Bigger on the Horizon

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Tylor Perry is grateful. Sometimes in life, there are setbacks, there are obstacles, but Perry carries an indomitable faith that something better is just around the corner. It's been nearly a month since the 5-foot-11, 180-pound point guard played his final game in a Kansas State uniform in a loss to Iowa in the first round of the NIT.

It capped an up-and-down season for the Wildcats. Perry earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades in his one season at K-State, averaging a team-high 15.3 points on 93 made 3-pointers to go along with 4.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 34 starts.

"I miss it every day, but I know God has something big on the horizon because I wasn't able to achieve what we had planned," Perry says. "I know something bigger is on the way, so I'm thankful."

Perry, who aspires to play in the NBA, was among 21 players chosen to participate in the 2024 NABC-Reese's Division I College All-Star Game last Friday at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona, as part of the Final Four festivities.

Perry spoke with K-State Sports Extra's D. Scott Fritchen about his all-star experience, about this past season, and about his future:

D. Scott Fritchen: What have the last couple days been like for you?

Tylor Perry: It's been an amazing experience. First of all, you have to give thanks to God for having that opportunity laid out for me, and I thank the Reese's game for blessing me with the opportunity, and the city of Phoenix. It was an amazing opportunity and an amazing couple of days. I was blessed to be picked and to represent K-State, my family and myself.

Fritchen: What did you enjoy most about your experience?

Perry: I think just being around as much talent as was there, the coaches, and the history of the coaches, and the history of the game. We went to Walmart and got to bless another family and realize sometimes it's OK to take a step back from basketball and be thankful for other things. Friday morning, we went to Walmart, a partner with Reese's, and we got to spend a couple hours with families, and take part, and we got to shop with them. Some of them were military and low-income families, and we got to bless them and their kids. We walked around with them and got to know them. It was super fun to be able to do that and to get to know people and them getting to know us, also. It was a really good time just to see the smile on the kids' faces. It just showed that you can really make an impact by doing so little.

Fritchen: What were you doing when you found out you had been selected to the All-Star game?

Perry: I was actually at home getting ready to work out when I received the text. It came out of nowhere and as a surprise. I'm super thankful. I received a text from a representative of the all-star game, and then I received a text from Jareem Dowling, who said, "You better take advantage of this opportunity." It was a blessing. I wasn't expecting that at all. I was excited. When Jareem texted me, I was like, you don't have to ask me twice to be able to represent K-State and North Texas one last time and to cap off a career. For people to know who I was, it just puts into perspective the body of work you've achieved, and that people appreciated it.

.@TimarPerry cutting up in yesterday's @NABC1927-Reese's Division I All-Star Game! pic.twitter.com/91jKZGfAgs
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) April 6, 2024

Fritchen: How long does it feel like since you played your last game at K-State?

Perry: An eternity, man. I've been done playing for so long because it seems like life has been going so fast since I've taken off the K-State uniform. Being in real life now, it's a lot different than preparing in college. Now you're preparing to be a pro. I miss it every day, but I know God has something big on the horizon because I wasn't able to achieve what we had planned. I know something bigger is on the way, so I'm thankful. When I returned to Manhattan, I stayed there for seven or eight days and decompressed a little bit, and I met with Coach Tang and the coaches, and hung out with my teammates one last time for a little bit. Being able to hang out with them and say my goodbyes and talk to some of the young guys before I left, I told them if they ever need anything, they have a big brother in me, and no matter what happened throughout this year, at the end of the day they have somebody in their corner for life.

Fritchen: What's been your routine?

Perry: I cut my vacation short. I was actually in Florida. I went back home and was able to work for a couple days. I haven't really been able to sit down yet. It's been meetings here and on the phone 24/7 dealing with agents, and trying to figure out what's best for me and what's the best possible move for me. Life is going fast, but this is what I signed up for, so I continue to keep my head down, and let God lead the way. You have to remember to enjoy this and that this is what you asked for. God is not going to give us too much on our plate and if He does it just means He's trying to level us up. I have a very good circle around me. I still stay in touch with the coaches at K-State and at North Texas, and they've done a tremendous job in helping me understand that everything is going to be OK, and if I need them, I have somebody. You just have to remember that everything is going to work out. I'm going at my own pace. I'm not letting anybody rush me. My journey is going to be a lot different than everybody else's. I have to remember that my pace is essentially what I want to do. I'm staying levelheaded and taking my time.

Fritchen: What do you want to do?

Perry: I plan on playing in the NBA one day. A lot of guys just say that just to put it out there to sound good, but since I picked up a ball 20 years ago, I had a dream, and a mindset, and I've had a goal. There's only been one goal on my list that I'll never get to check off as a player, which is getting to the NCAA Tournament, but that's why I believe God has something bigger on the horizon. Maybe that just wasn't in His plans for me, and that's OK. I truly believe one day I'll suit up for a NBA game, and I'll be able to say I did it, and to be able to look myself in the mirror and say, "You said you were going to do something at 3 years old, and you accomplished it." I wrote it in my schoolbook when I was in elementary school and to go back and pick that book up again in six or seven months, to be able to say, "I did it" — hopefully you'll see me and Markquis Nowell play against each other and everybody will be able to talk about that matchup for the next 15-20 years.

Fritchen: As the season ended, what kinds of things went through your mind?

Perry: I was hurt. I was hurt. I was disappointed in nobody else but myself. I felt like I let K-State fans down because I know how passionate they are about this season and how passionate they are about their sports, and I know how they rallied behind us. I felt like I let them down because I didn't get the job done. A lot of people can say, "But you did this, and you did that," but that doesn't really matter to me. I could've scored zero points in every game I played in if I was able to get Arthur Kaluma and Cam Carter and those freshman into the tournament, I could walk away happy. Not that I didn't, but there was definitely a disappointment because I felt like I let Coach Tang down and the rest of the staff. I told Jareem after the season I felt like there's a table that Coach Tang sits at with all of his great guards that I'll never be able to sit at because I never got to the tournament, and it hurts. I'll live with that, but, you know, I can't disregard what I did my whole college career. I have to remember I was blessed to be around a lot of great coaches, and I was able to play in a lot of great games, and won a lot of big games, but like I said, if I could, one thing I wish I could've done for K-State fans is get them to the tournament.

Fritchen: What do you like best about Coach Tang?

Perry: Just how real of a person he is. First thing he said when he saw me in Phoenix was, "Do you need anything?" He didn't ask me about basketball. First thing was, "Do you need anything?" I said, "No, I'm OK." He said, "Are you sure?" That's just the type of person he is. He really cares about his people. The sacrifices he makes for his people, he understands that God is going to bless him for it, and he's going to be taken care of by the good Lord for it. He just has a heart of gold. Coach Tang reminds me of somebody's grandpa just because of the heart that he has. He really cares about his family, and he has a huge family and for a guy to walk around with that heavy load on his shoulders like that and to genuinely care. You can't do anything but respect a guy like that.

Fritchen: When you look at yourself, and understanding you're disappointed, but there's a lot of good things that you achieved as well. What are you most proud of?

Perry: I'd probably say just being able to take everything that was thrown at me this year from changing positions and losing Nae'Qwan and losing Ques and doing everything I could to try and rally those guys and rally that team and just leaving everything out there. That's one thing I can say was that no matter what happened and no matter what type of bullets people threw at me, I continued to leave everything I could out there on the floor. That's really all that matters. I'll be able to look back and say that no matter what anybody said about me, I continued to fight, and I continued to give my blood, sweat and tears to the program and to the coaches, and that's essentially why I can look myself in the mirror and be happy about what I did at K-State.

Fritchen: What have you learned most about yourself in the past year?

Perry: That's a great question. That I'm a fighter. A lot of people say that, and a lot of people claim to be fighters, and a lot of people claim to be a lot of things, but until you get into that ring, until you become the man in the mirror where all eyes are on you at the highest level on the biggest stage, it's a little different squeeze. I definitely went through this season with a lot of ups and downs, a lot of mental up and downs, because I felt like I wasn't doing enough, and I wanted to prove everybody wrong so bad, and you know, at a certain point it became more about proving those naysayer fans wrong instead of proving the ones who believed in me right, and not only those fans who believed in me, but also my coaches. What I learned is that no matter what goes on, I'm a fighter, and I'll always be one, and I think that's when the season turned around for me. The belief in God is real, and I continued to stay down, and continued to believe, and just understood that everything is going to be OK, and you just have to keep your head high and walk with that type of confidence. I thankfully did that, and I think that's why I had a little bit of success at the end of the year. Yeah, I was blessed to be in that position, and I'm super grateful for it.

Fritchen: Anything else you'd like to add?

Perry: You have a gem in Dug McDaniel. Cherish that man and give him his flowers. The young bull is on the way. I can't wait to see what's on the horizon for him and for the rest of his crew. Look out for him, and go EMAW.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Cam Carter

Arthur Kaluma

Markquis Nowell

Tylor Perry

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