Kentucky Wildcat Basketball Recruiting: Perry Ellis Gets Chatty

National Signing Day is upon us and while 2012 recruit Perry Ellis is not going to make his decision soon, he is one of the most media friendly recruits out there.  We have had a couple of interviews with Perry on this site and when Tyler Cox came to me with another interview, I had to admit I was a bit hesitant to post it.  After reading it though, Tyler did a great job of getting Perry to open up about his recruiting process and actually gave us a very interesting look at where the teams stand with Perry and Perry gave a lot more information than what you see in the standard recruit interview.

Big props go out to Perry and his mother for giving us exposure to Perry and for Tyler Cox on doing a great job with this interview.  So without any further pomp and circumstance, here is Tyler’s interview with Perry:

Tyler Cox:  Take us through your recruiting process.
Perry Ellis:  The whole recruiting process has been very positive. I had over 12 offers from great schools but in December I decided to narrow down my list to six. I picked the schools that I felt the most comfortable with and ones that had been recruiting me the longest. I am just trying to learn as much about each school as possible. It is a great honor to have head coaches call, email, and writer personal notes. I am enjoying this experience and I am very appreciative that I had this opportunity at such a young age.

TC:  What in a school would make you say, “That’s it, that’s the school for me?”
PE: When I feel totally comfortable with the coaches, the players, the school, and the style of play and get the opportunity to contribute right away.

TC:  With your last interview with me you said that you had 6 schools on your list, has that changed?
PE:  No, I still have Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Memphis, Oklahoma, and Wichita State still on my list but have had some other schools in contact lately. I got a call earlier this week (actually about the end of April) from Head Coach Tubby Smith who has won a national championship. I am certainly going to listen to what he has to say.

TC:  You also said that you weren’t ready to put them in order, Do you have an order or are close to having one?
PE:  No order yet maybe after this summer I will work on that.

TC:  Which schools  are recruiting you harder, or giving it a better effort to reach out to you?
PE:  I would have to say Kansas, Kansas State and Kentucky are probably working the hardest right now but Memphis, Oklahoma and Wichita State are not far behind. They all stay in touch.

TC:  What makes Kansas stand out from other schools?
PE:  Kansas has followed me the longest probably since 7th or 8th grade. Coach Bill Self came to my very first high school game and was my first scholarship offer. I have been on campus many times and attended a lot of games.  I even attended several classes with some of the players. Coach Danny Manning is my main contact and stays in touch quite often. Coach Danny spent the day with us when we came to Lawrence for a football game and it was really hot that day. I got to see Wayne Simeon’s jersey get retired this year. It really impressed me that Coach Self or one of his staff was at just about every one of my games last summer I think they only missed one.

TC:  Kansas St?
PE:  Kansas State was my 5th offer I have visited Manhattan several times, went to a football game and several basketball games. Coach Frank Martin and Coach Brad Underwood did a great job following me around last summer too. What impressed me was that Coach Martin brought his wife along with him to one of my high school games and Coach Underwood took his son to come to watch me play at State this year. On my visit I got a chance to see the other side of Coach Frank. He spent all afternoon with us in his office while we watched  KState football on TV. He is really laid back and you can tell he really cares about his family and his players.

TC:  Kentucky?
PE:  I have visited Kentucky twice now. Really enjoyed my last visit got to go to a game at Rupp, watch a practice, and also attend a class on campus. Coach Cal is the only coach that has offered me twice he was my second offer when he was at Memphis and my third offer when he went to Kentucky. I got to know Coach Orlando at Memphis first and now he has been the main contact. Coach Orlando spent the whole day with us when we went to visit and showed us all around campus. It was great he even took us to meet with the President of the University. Kentucky seems to be recruiting me harder this year. I talked to Coach Cal on the phone last week.

TC:  Are you getting close to a decision?
PE:  No, not yet I want to make sure the school I pick is the right fit for me.

TC: What do you look forward to most your senior year?
PE: Winning my 4th State Championship and playing basketball with my two younger brothers since it is my last year.

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