WEST POINT, Ala. – In this interview, I talked to West Point junior Kolten Perry about the current basketball season and the experience he gained last year. Perry also he talked about how the summer play-day games went and what all he took away from those games coming into his junior season.
“It went good. It took us some time to discover who we were and what we needed to do to win. I learned a lot, mostly leadership from the seniors, and how crucial it is in the last seconds of a close game and how much it will impact the outcome of the game,” Perry said. “The play-day games went very well. We discovered what kind of team we are and what kind of basketball we will need to play to have a huge season and make it deep this year.”
Kolten has been playing with this team since his days on the JV team and he’s really happy to see the chemistry that they have on the court. He’s played for head coach Mason Voce for three years, including his days on JV, and has learned so much from him so far.
“It’s been amazing. The team chemistry we have on this team is on another level and it’s getting better each and every day as we know where each other will be on the court without even looking,” Perry said. “He’s been an amazing coach and an even better role model. He’s been teaching me how the real world will be when basketball stops. It doesn’t matter if your body is sore or if you’re having a bad shooting day, the only things he asks from us is to hustle.”
Kolten has learned a lot from the upperclassmen before him and he’s been taking what they’ve taught him into his conversations with the younger players on the team.
“I’ve mostly learned confidence and not being scared to take that shot or make that play. They also taught me that being a leader on and off the court will make a huge impact on the team during those difficult games,” Perry said. “It’s very important to teach them how different high school is and that you are going to have to play with a chip on your shoulder. I’ve been also teaching them to get in the weight room, get stronger, and to never be satisfied.”
Kolten worked on polishing his game in the summer and has set some goals for himself and the team this season. He talked about what will make this team special to watch this season.
“I’ve been pretty much working on everything, just polishing my game all-around. I’ve mainly focused on my footwork and my mid-range game,” he said. “My individual goals are to keep working hard and earn All-State and our team goals are to win area and keep extending our season. What will make this team special to watch this season will be our grit and hustle on both sides of the ball.”
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