The MSU basketball program celebrated some of its all-time best players this weekend including the legendary Curtis Perry.
Curtis Perry is mentioned as one of the best Bears basketball players to ever live.
Scoring more than 1800 points for “Southwest Missouri State as it was called in those days,” said Missouri State Hall of Famer Curtis Perry.
However, it wasn’t just buckets that Perry was known for he was dynamic on the glass.
“I had a niche with rebounding and the great teams I played on that made me stand out,” Perry said.
Perry still holds the record for most career rebounds at Missouri State (1424).
50 years after he suited up for the Bears, he’s back in Springfield reflecting on when he first came to town as a teenager.
“When I got to SMS, I was 17-years-old, had played a year and a half of varsity basketball and I grew. I matured here, learned how to play college basketball, learned how to play basketball period,” he added.
Once he learned basketball that’s all he wanted to do.
“I worked hard. Coach (Bill) Thomas would have to drag me off the court after practice because I wanted to be better. I wanted to be the best,” said Perry.
To many Bears fans, he is the best. The best had some advice for the Bears.
“Make your teammates better. Have them play with you and not worry about who scores the most points or who has the most rebounds. That’s what I told the team,” said Perry.
That team first mentality led Perry to 8 seasons of professional basketball after his historic career at SMS.
