Perry junior guard Shammond Ivory hit a personal milestone Friday night when he scored his 1000th career point in Perry’s win over Boone. Ivory is currently third in the state with 312 points this year. The junior has scored 1004 points in his career after pumping in 458 points last season.
“He has really developed his shot this year,” commented Perry Head Coach Ned Menke. “When he came into our system, I think it was more of a confidence issue but he has become such a proficient outside and midrange shooter and I think that’s the part of the game that has really come along as far as improvement. Now he is the best ball handler that I have ever coached and with that ability to break other kids down and get to the basket for what looks like routine layups but really are high difficulty shots has allowed him to pump in a high volume of points throughout his career. He is certainly one of a kind at this level for his ability to dribble, handle the basketball and break kids down.”
With a third of the year still left and a full senior season in the future, 2000 points could become a real possibility along with an opportunity to play Division one basketball.
“I think he has that ability in his future. He is definitely there for ball handling. I’m confident that he is able to handle with any kid at the high school level. Shooting wise I think he is getting there. If you look at his percentages during his career, you will see an improvement each year from the lower 30’s to mid 30 percent range and if he can continue next season to get that into the higher 30’s, then he will be shooting right there with some of the top shooting recruits in the state. So, absolutely, I think that combination has the potential for a Division I school in his future.”
Ivory and the Bluejays will host Carlsile Friday night at the Pavilion. Interestingly enough, Ivory’s teammate Will Whiton is only 19 points away for 1000 in his career. Shawn Kenney will have the play by play on AM 1310 KDLS and raccoonvalleyradio.com