Not even an accident the day before could prevent Chris Perry from his big day last Wednesday.
The 6-foot-7 star Bradwell Institute basketball player signed a letter of intent with the University of North Florida, in front of a multitude of family, friends and his teammates.
“It means a lot,” he said of his signing. “I’m truly grateful for this day.”
Perry entered his senior season averaging 13.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. His 27 points against Windsor Forest in the 2025-26 season opener were a career high.
“Chris is the type of kid who always meets the moment,” Tigers head coach Ty Randolph said. “He is going to stay in the fire.”
As a freshman, Perry helped lead the Tigers to their first region championship in 30 years, and was named freshman of the year. He was named all-region first team after his sophomore and junior seasons.
Randolph said that when he took the Bradwell job, then superintendent Dr. Franklin Perry and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Zheadric Barbara had a vision for what they wanted Tigers basketball to be.
“As a coach, I know what is built to be a championship product. A championship product is built on special talent,” the coach said. “He came in with a class that was already pretty good. I told Dr. Perry this thing is going to start and it is going to finish with Chris.”
The lanky left-hander said he enjoys distributing the basketball – he averages nearly 2 assists a game – and wants to improve his game by working on his right hand.
The Ospreys unveiled new locker room and team spaces earlier this month and last year, the team claimed wins over the SEC’s South Carolina and the ACC’s Georgia Tech.
The Perrys said they felt at home with their visit to UNF, which is in Jacksonville. Even for top prospects such as Perry, the transfer portal has altered drastically how they are courted by colleges.
“The recruiting process for high school kids is grueling,” Randolph said.
Another driver pulled out in front of him Tuesday, Perry said. But it did not deter him from Wednesday and he has bigger goals in mind this year, with this Tigers team being capable of “any and everything,” he said.
“We’ve got a chance,” he said. “We’ve got a great chance.”