Never read this before, didn't know about KP43's parents.
Christmas Eve 2001
Basketball America
It's nights like these when Kendrick Perkins realizes he has it all. Even if two important parts of his life are missing, it's nights like these that help Perkins realize he has the world on a string, just like he does a basketball. He won't go home to the warm embrace of a proud mother. He won't feel the proud slap on the back and hear the hearty "attaboy" from a father. That's just how it's been since Perkins was 5, about the same time he started playing basketball. Throughout a basketball career that has some projecting Perkins as the next Shaquille O'Neal, Perkins has not had what many take for granted. He thinks about what is missing from his life, sure. He thinks about what life would be like if his mother had not been murdered and his father had not ditched the family. He sits at home sometimes and wonders why his parents were gone from his life before he ever really knew them. But nights like these at Beaumont Ozen High show just how much the best young big man in the country has mended a broken heart. They show how Perkins has become more than the soul of the Golden Triangle's basketball culture.
He has become the personification of this community's close-knit ways. He has become the picture of promises kept and determination defined. "Now I understand why some things happen," Perkins said. "I had people that took excellent care of me. I don't miss a lot of things, because I never really had them."
Nights like these help the big kid with an NBA future realize that what he has had through most of his 17 years -- a surrogate father for a coach and grandparents whose tough love pointed him down all the right paths -- has made him a man among boys off the court as much as on. Perkins never knew his father, former Lamar University star Kenneth Perkins, who left the family when Perkins was 18 months old. Perkins' mother, Ercell Minix, was murdered in a bizarre scene at a beauty salon where she worked when Perkins was 5.
"It was just some kind of argument," said Ozen coach Andre Boutte, who attended Hebert High with Perkins' mother and was a close family friend. "Something happened and she was shot." There are times Perkins wonders why his mother was taken away. There are times Boutte will run across a picture of Minix and show it to Perkins. The kid's eyes light up. He asks Boutte questions about his mother, about her personality and her dreams.
"I remember her and I've thought about her," Perkins said. "When she died, at first I didn't take it that hard. I didn't know really what was going on and I was at my grandmother's house so much anyway because my mom was working. It was sad, but my grandma and my grandpa raised me right. I knew I was missing something from my life, but my grandma and grandpa are excellent people. They took care of me." As for his father, who Perkins has been told is living out of the country, Perkins says he does not hold a grudge and considers the man out of his life forever. "He's never contacted me, and I really don't have any feelings for him," Perkins said. "I'm not mad. I don't trip over it. I don't even wonder about where he is or what he's doing. "People ask me and I just say, `I don't know the man. I don't know where he is, and it doesn't bother me at all.' I've got my family here. I've got people that help me -- coach Boutte, my grandparents." This circle of love is the reason Perkins always has had everything he's needed. And soon, he figures to have the kind of riches and fame few ever do. It is a Golden Triangle of a different sort: Perkins with his will and talent, his grandparents with a caring, disciplined hand and Boutte with guidance and teaching.
When Perkins began school, his grandparents, Raymond and Mary Lewis, scraped together enough money to send their grandson to Our Mother Of Mercy Catholic School. Raymond Lewis was a construction worker and Mary Lewis worked part-time as a maid, so it wasn't always easy paying for tuition. But they managed, and Perkins remained a popular fixture at Mother of Mercy, where he was a shy, favorite "big kid" among the nuns and teachers. By fifth grade, Perkins was deep in his faith and growing out of his clothes, often kidded for being "the world's tallest altar boy." He learned discipline and the importance of academics, and he remains an honors student today at Ozen (which is on the former Hebert campus).
By the end of sixth grade, Perkins stood 6-2 and was being guided on the court and off by Boutte, who constantly checked on Kendrick, opened the gym for him and took a special interest in this young son of a woman Boutte briefly dated while at Hebert High. "Not in my wildest dreams could I have thought that things would turn a complete circle and I would end up coaching him at the same school where I went," Boutte said. "To see him come along so far, it's something. To go to the same house where you went as a kid to visit (Minix) or pick her up for a date, and now you're there for this kid and you think of him like a son." It's days like these that make you realize that long before he cashes his first NBA paycheck, Perkins has it all.
The buzz at Ozen High begins more than an hour before tip-off as the line of fans craving tickets to the big rivalry game against Central snakes around Ozen's sparkling new gym. Talk inevitably turns to Perkins -- fans projecting whether he will turn pro or talking about the 13 blocked shots he had in his last game or raving over his scoring prowess. When the Panthers trot onto the floor, with the 6-11 Perkins striding confidently at the back of the line, some 2,200 fans jammed into the gym stand and cheer, swaying to the beat of cheerleaders clapping in unison. By the end of the night, the Panthers have another victory and Perkins, after being double-teamed and sandwiched most of the night, has a hard-earned 15 points and 10 blocked shots. "He does everything you can expect of him, but he wants more," Boutte said. "He wants to improve every day." That's why weeks like the one approaching might show just how far Perkins' talents can take him. He and Ozen will test themselves against some of the best high school basketball teams in the country at the Academy National Invitational at the Campbell Center.
Perkins is being scouted by NBA teams, even though he is only a junior. He has an array of post moves and defensive skills some consider NBA caliber. And with broad shoulders and plenty of room for more bulk on his 260-pound frame, a player like Perkins has become a rare commodity at any level. "He's a true five man," Boutte said. "He's not one of these 6-10, 230-pound guys that people try to turn into a center. He's from the old mold, the true big man. They're hard to find." He is an extraordinary shot-blocker. He has soft hands, 3-point range with his jumper, strong power moves and sharp passing skills. "You have to think big with him," Boutte said. "For him, it's like challenging the kid in the classroom. You'll always have some kids that have a little bit more to offer than others, but if you keep him on the same plane as the other students, then mediocrity sets in. We constantly challenge him, and he constantly rises to the challenge."
It all seems to be a product of Perkins' Golden Triangle of commitment at home. "My family and the coaching staff has taken care of me all the way," Perkins said. "They've meant everything to me. Someday I want to take care of them." Perkins is widely regarded as a sure NBA lottery pick after next year, and given his background he would seem to be the epitome of a hardship case. He has hinted that if after next season scouts project him as a top-five NBA pick, he will take the leap. But college life also is tempting. "I dream about going to college and then going to the next level," he said. "I want to take care of my family and the coaches (financially), but you can't rush these decisions. You have to think on them a little bit. Coach and I made a little rule. All I do is hoop and take care of school, and he'll take care of the rest." Perkins has received letters from virtually every major college program in the country, but Boutte has been careful to shield him from too many outside forces that might try to sway his decision. A year ago, after Perkins guided Ozen to a 36-0 record and Class 4A state championship as a sophomore, his stock took a remarkable leap. And after attending the five-star A.B.C.D. summer camp and dominating this year's senior class of big men, Perkins earned a reputation as the best big man in the country.
This week, Perkins will open the Academy National Invitational against New York's Rice High School and 7-3 center Shagari Alleyne. Other nationally ranked schools in the tournament include New Jersey's St. Patrick High and 6-10 center Grant Billmeier; Midwest City (Okla.) and 6-9 Sheldon Williams; Oak Hill Academy (Va.) and 6-10 Sani Ibrahim; and De La Salle (Calif.) High and 6-9 Joe Grant. NBA scouts from virtually every club have requested credentials for the tournament, no doubt so they can cast a critical eye on the likes of highly regarded players such as Midwest City's Williams and Oak Hill's Carmelo Anthony. But all eyes also will focus on the big kid from Beaumont. "It's the reason we play, to go out there and play against these teams," Perkins said. "I like playing against competition. It's no fun if you're just playing against (smaller) post players. I like to face a challenge." He's faced them his whole life. He's had to do it without a mother and with an absentee father, but a Golden Triangle of love has helped Perkins realize he has it all. "I've told him, `Make your father proud. Even though you don't have those feelings for him, even though you don't know him and the longer he's away the tougher it gets to let him back into your life, do something to make him proud,' " Boutte said. "Just because certain things happen, Kendrick uses it to work harder. He uses it as a motivation. That's something Kendrick has always done and I think he'll always do." - Houston Chronicle
12/21/01: �Kendrick Perkins is a big kid in a small house in a medium city. Kendrick Perkins is also a basketball player. And Kendrick Perkins is going to be rich one day ... very, very rich ... and that day is not too far away. But enough about Kendrick Perkins the former kid. And enough about Kendrick Perkins the future pro. Far more important is where Kendrick Perkins is right now. Kendrick Perkins is somewhere in between. Kendrick Perkins is 16. Andre Boutte wants it to stay that way. But the boys' basketball coach at Beaumont Ozen High School is in for a battle. "Normal high school years," he said in August in his damp Ozen office. "That's what I want for him. He will not be made into a sideshow because he's tall and because he can play basketball. This kid's high school life is just like anybody else's walking around on this campus." If only that were true. Beaumont Texas sprouted money in 1901. Oil began gushing out of the ground here that year. Thirty thousand people moved to this Southeast Texas town in the span of a month. Now, a century later, it has 100,000...and plenty of athletes. It's always had athletes. Barrier-breaking female cross-trainer Babe Didrickson was from Port Arthur�a short drive down Interstate-10 toward Houston�and she probably remains the area's most noteworthy athletic product. But there are others: Jerry LaVias, an SMU football player who was the first black scholarship athlete on the Southwest Conference gridiron; Warren Wells, Bubba Smith, Joe Washington and Jerry Ball, all former NFLers; Stephen Jackson, a current San Antonio Spur; and Immanuel McElroy, a Cincinnati BEARCAT. "There are so many," Boutte said, "that I lose count." He can count one more. His hoops prodigy might ultimately be the best of the bunch.
The 6-foot-10 Perkins averaged 18.9 points per game last season in becoming the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches 4A Player of the Year. He led Ozen to the state championship game with a 31-point performance against Hereford in the semis. Then he dominated San Antonio Lanier in the finals to the tune of 17 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks. His Panthers finished the season 36-0. And Kendrick Perkins was suddenly a bona fide super star drawing comparisons to a one-time San Antonio post player named O'Neal. "Kendrick's the best player in Texas since Shaquille," said Mike Kunstadt, a former Lone Star State high school coach who now scouts talent for his Texas Hoops newsletter. "He's certainly a better scorer than Shaq was at this stage." Just ask some of the blue-chippers he handled in Hackensack, N.J., at July's adidas ABCD Camp. Rising senior stars like Jason Fraser, Sani Ibrahim and Chris Bosh�all legitimate NBA-caliber talents sooner or later ... were at ABCD. But Perkins was clearly the best post prospect there. He put up 13 points, 8.9 boards and a camp-best 2.6 blocks an outing. More importantly, though, he scored when he wanted, he rebounded when he wanted, and he blocked shots when he wanted. And he showed more actual moves than just about any big guy ... in any class ... at any point in the five-day showcase.
"For a guy heading into his junior year, with his size, skills and passing ability, Kendrick Perkins is one of the best young big man prospects to come along in the last five years," said BlueChipHoops.com recruiting analyst Dave Telep. "He reminds you of Elton Brand with his offensive capabilities and his body type. He's that good." Genes are working in Perkins' favor. His father Kenneth�by all accounts a rugged 6-6 enforcer in the paint�was a standout at Beaumont's Lamar University in the early 1980's. He still stands in the program's all-time top 10 in rebounds and blocks. But that translates into potential. The polish ... the drop steps, the head fakes, the up-and-unders, the baseline jumpers�that's no accident. "It's not just instinct," said Hal Pastner, who runs the Houston Hoops AAU team, Perkins' program of choice this past year on the summer circuit. "There are actual skills there. Kendrick has pro skills ... from a technical standpoint ... and that's what separates him. "That's Coach Boutte. He's a great disciplinarian and a tremendous teacher of big men."
He's a tremendous coach, period. Boutte is respected throughout Texas but revered in the state's Southeast corridor. The 39-year-old won a pair of state championships as a player at Beaumont Hebert ... the primarily black predecessor to Ozen ... and has added three more as the man on the sideline. He guided Port Arthur Lincoln to titles in 1991 and '95 before taking Ozen on last year's undefeated jaunt. Boutte's had great players before�Stephen Jackson and Immanuel McElroy played for him at Lincoln�so he's not at all unaccustomed to hype. But don't talk to him about Perkins and the NBA. Don't even bring it up. Not now. Not ever. Not while he's in charge. "You'll never get a quote from me about the NBA talk," Boutte said. "All I'll talk about is his high school basketball and preparing him to go to college. We can't control what someone else says or thinks. But we're just going to take care of our business." That business involves what Boutte terms "phases."
"We're through Phase 1 and Phase 2," he explained, referring to Perkins' freshman and sophomore seasons. "Kendrick is not a one-year phenom that just popped up. I want his game to step up every year. "It's about the importance of fundamentals. A kid has to be fundamentally sound whether he's 5-7 or 6-7." Or, apparently, 6-10. The Ozen Panthers work hard in the off-season. They run and they lift. "I don't have to open that door to know what they're doing in there," Boutte said late one August morning to the sounds of clanking and crashing weights. "This is what colleges do. I don't have to worry about conditioning when practice starts on the third Monday in October. We have a program here." And make no mistake: Boutte is very much in charge. He's even imposing and intimidating. But his players emit a tangible mixture of wide-eyed fear and unconditional respect. "Andre owns Beaumont," Kunstadt explained. "He doesn't allow for any funny business with his players. They're well-mannered and obedient. They don't talk trash on the court. They just go about their business." All of which, of course, reflects well on Boutte. But the coach ... no matter how good, no matter how well-respected�is not bigger than the game. And the game doesn't exactly do phases anymore. Perkins know that. He has to know. This much he's noticed: "When I go places," he said of his post-championship, post-ABCD existence in Beaumont, "people are focusing on me."
Not that he doesn't like that. "It's tight," the soft-spoken giant mumbled with Boutte looking on. "I just like the attention." Boutte, of course, isn't so sure. He sees Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry and Sagana Diop preparing for their premature forays into the NBA ... while basketball people are watching and waiting for the guinea pig trio to implode ... and he sees Class of 2003 wonder boy LeBron James inching ever closer to pro status. Already. But the good news is this: Beaumont looks after its own. This city with a population over 100,000 is small and tight-knit. At least Perkins' world is small and tight-knit.
Gerard's Bar-B-Que ... a pastel-pink shanty that spits out smoke�has for generations been a Fannett Road landmark. A couple started the pulled pork business before passing it on to their kids�who then passed it on to their kids. Even five-year-old Ozen High School has a long and celebrated history�as Herbert High School. The predecessor closed in 1982 before re-opening as Ozen in August 1997. Boutte graduated from Herbert in 1981. His mother graduated from Herbert in 1959 and was a classmate of Clifton J. Ozen the football coach and assistant principal of the old school and the namesake of the new school. Ozen is a new school only because it has relatively new facilities. But the old Herbert Panther fans cheered for last year's state title just like the new Ozen Panther fans. And they cheered for Perkins. They know his mother, Ercell Minix, passed away when Perkins was only five, folks seem to just know that kind of stuff in the community around Ozen �and they know that Kenneth left Lamar to pursue a professional basketball career in Australia. They know he remains Down Under. And they know Kendrick lives with his grandparents.
People in these parts know about Perkins' past ... and outsiders think they know about his future ... and Boutte wants that balance to stick.
"Personal business," Boutte said matter-of-factly, "stays personal." Boutte isn't hostile toward the media. He's just wary. Because the life of Kendrick Perkins ... or any of his players ... is not for public consumption. And the rate of his progression as a person and as a prospect is not up for debate. "He's one of the most talented big men I've had," Boutte said, "but he's not the best player I've had at this point. I'd like to see the finished product. If he continues to work like he does now, he can pretty much to go to any college program in the country, and that's the No. 1 thing. There, if he works hard, he'll have the possibility of playing pro ball. But that's the order we take."
"And maybe that's not such a bad thing," Hoop Scoop recruiting guru Clark Francis said late this summer. "Maybe more people should be doing that."
Maybe so. But not everybody can be Andre Boutte. And maybe in this case, with this player, with this past, with this future, not even Boutte can be Boutte. "If Kendrick Perkins came out right now and said there was no way he was going to the NBA right out of high school, nobody would ever believe it," Telep said. "Does he have the option to do that? Given the current circumstances, absolutely. I'm always an advocate of going to college, but if someone's going to pay you three million dollars when you're 18 years old, who are we to chastise them for taking that?" Heritage Christian coach Jerome Tang agrees. "I hope he goes to college," said Tang, one of the top private school coaches in Texas. "But if he's going to go No. 1 or No. 2 in the draft ... and if he's got good people around him ... how can you tell him not to go?" Ask Andre Boutte. Ask Mike Kunstadt. Even ask Shaquille O'Neal. Ultimately, though, ask the big kid in the small house.� - Basketball America
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