MSU'S Perry picks up All-district recognition

The basketball season didn't end the way Reggie Perry or any of the Mississippi State Bulldogs would've liked.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic cancelled the Southeastern Conference Tournament and all of March Madness. Still, Perry can at least take some solace in the fact that he continues to pull in postseason awards.

Perry brought home National Association of Basketball Coaches All-district 20 First-team honors, it was announced on Monday. It was just the latest in a string of postseason accolades for Perry as he had already claimed a Southeastern Conference Co-player of the Year honor from the Associated Press, as well as ALL-SEC first-team accolades from league coaches. Additionally, Perry had already previously won the Bailey Howell Trophy as the state of Mississippi's top collegiate player and was awarded United States Basketball Writers Association All-district accolades.

Perry's latest award on Monday only served to further illustrate how big of a piece Perry was for the 201920 Bulldogs.

“It's a big advantage having a guy like Reggie Perry,” Perry's teammate and MSU guard Tyson

Carter said earlier this month. “He's the best rebounder I've ever played with. Not too many people can guard him down low, and he can pass the ball. There are a lot of different weapons that he has in his arsenal.”

Perry's season statistics are a testament to his versatility. He is the only SEC player that ranked among the league's top 10 in points (17.4 – sixth), rebounds (10.1 – first), field goal percentage (50% – fourth) and blocks (1.2 – ninth).

The sophomore forward was only the eighth SEC player in the last decade to average a season double-double.

In all, Perry had 17 double-doubles this past season. That total included 13 over MSU'S final 20 games.

Perry's production helped State win 11 of its final 15 conference games to earn a top four finish in the league standings – the highest overall finish for the Bulldogs since the 201011 season.

Unfortunately for Perry and the Bulldogs, they'll never know how the season would've ended if it could have been played out. One thing is certain though. Perry was incredibly impressive all year long and is now reaping the rewards of that.

“It means a lot,” Perry said earlier this month after receiving one of his honors. “I feel like I put in a lot work to get to this point.”