Cincinnati Bearcats in contention for top JUCO prospect

The top JUCO prospect from this past season, KJ Perry, holds offers from many Division one programs. Arizona State, BYU, USC, Cincinnati, TCU, NC State, Cal, and Texas A&M highlight the programs that have given him offers.

Perry received an offer from the Cincinnati Bearcats back in May and has since then made it known that he is open to reclass to 2025 and redshirt for this upcoming season, and to be fully ready for the 2026 season.

Perry played at Citrus College last season and was named a JUCO Fab 50 Freshman. He averaged 17.5 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.5 rebounds last season. Standing at 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, Perry is a very capable scorer at all three levels as well as being a solid defender. There are questions about how Perry will pass and rebound at the Division I level, but with his size, it shouldn't be that big of a concern.

The Bearcats recruited Day Day Thomas out of Kilgore College, a JUCO school in Texas, a home run from what the expectations must have been.

There is plenty of talent in JUCO an,d it's good to see Wes Miller go out and offer some guys, especially after we have seen firsthand what kind of impact players like these can have.

With the Diego Pavia ruling, recruiting out of JUCO is bound to be a larger part of college basketball than ever before. NCAA athletes who spent time at a JUCO before going to the NCAA aren't charged years of eligibility for going the JUCO route straight out of high school.

Because of this, Perry could go into his freshman season of college basketball as a 21-year-old, something that can be a big tide-turner in the day and age of one-and-dones.

Perry is expected to decide by mid-August what route he will go on and what school he will attend. Cincinnati should be at the top of his list considering what they have done with Day Day Thomas and what kind of role he plays at Cincinnati.