Aug. 11, 2005
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Former Santa Clara University men's basketball standout Doron Perkins has signed a contract to play professionally for Toyota Alvark in the Japanese Superleague, according to his agent.
Perkins, who was a first-team all-West Coast Conference selection for the Broncos last season, will report to the Tokyo, Japan-based team in mid-September. He is scheduled to complete his final class for graduation from Santa Clara upon the conclusion of the current summer session in late August.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to play professionally and I am looking forward to experiencing life in a country that is as diverse as Japan," said Perkins. "My goal is to ultimately play in the NBA. This opportunity will give me a chance to work on improving my game and hopefully help lead the Toyota team to a Superleague championship."
The Toyota squad has been led the last three seasons by former UCLA star Charles O'Bannon but has finished with back-to-back .500 records after winning the league in 2002-03.
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"This opportunity will give me a chance to work on improving my game and hopefully help lead the Toyota team to a Superleague championship."
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"A number of NBA teams expressed interest in Doron," said Ben Pensack of Mill Valley, Calif.-based Pensack & Associates Sports Management. "They loved his defensive abilities and have indicated they are going to keep a close eye on his development in Japan. He needs to get more experience playing the point guard position, which is exactly what he will play for Toyota.
"Doron has a tremendous upside, which is made evident in the fact that Toyota provided him a fairly lucrative deal. I would place his deal at a value that is as high as any undrafted rookie out there."
After going relatively unnoticed following an injury at Bartlett High School as a prep, Perkins played two seasons at little-known Southwestern Oregon Community College. Upon his arrival at Santa Clara, however, he sparkled. Perkins set a WCC record with 10 steals in a single game against San Diego and was among the league leaders in points, rebounds, assists and steals as a senior.
"I don't think I expected any of this coming out of high school," said Perkins. "I was kind of small during most of my high school career before I had a growth spurt before my senior year. Then I injured my knee and ended-up playing at a junior college. Santa Clara was a great experience for me from both a basketball and academic perspective. It was really important for me to get my degree and now I can move forward and work on furthering my basketball career.
"The Japanese league has a six-month schedule so there is a good chance I can get back to the U.S. in time to play here and get some exposure."
