As Patriots Basketball Club undergoes a rebuilding phase to reclaim its position in the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL), one standout addition to the team is William Perry, an American point guard who has been making waves in the league. The 30-year-old has made a significant impact within just two months of his arrival at the club, as his performances have been instrumental in propelling it to the summit of the league table in the first round. His most recent match was against champions APR and he put up a great show as he scored 24 points and added 11 rebounds and three assists. Times Sport caught up with the American for an interview where he shared more about his basketball journey and his time in Rwanda. Excerpts: Question: First, tell us about yourself Answer: My name is Will Perry. I am 30 years old, obviously a professional basketball player. Super simple guy; almost boring, probably. But I love basketball, I love traveling the world. Luckily, I am able to do that. Question: Where were you born and how did you start playing basketball? Answer: I was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. It's the capital of North Carolina in the United States. So, I am American. Everyone asks me when I started playing basketball. I really don't remember when; I think it was literally when I could walk. I know in Africa a lot of guys start when they are like 13 years old or even later. But for me, it was as long as I can remember. I can't even pinpoint the right age when I started. Question: Is sport a family thing? Answer: My dad was a good athlete; he was a really good baseball player. He played basketball as well, but not at a super high level. He told me that he introduced me (to it), started rolling the ball to me when I was very young. I played many different sports as a kid. It was not just basketball. Baseball, football, soccer – a lot of other sports. In the end, I ended up playing basketball because it was my best option. I grew up with both parents. Really good parents, and two sisters. I was born in 93, my sister 95 and my other sister in 98. So we are pretty close in age. And they were good athletes too. They did softball, which is like women's baseball. So we were all pretty good athletes. I had a good family of athletics growing up. I wasn't just me by myself; I had a good structure and my dad was a smart guy with sport. So, I definitely had an advantage with that. Question: How did you choose to continue with basketball? Answer: Like I said, I was probably a better baseball player up until like age 16 or 17. I really thought I was going to be a college baseball player because I was better at baseball. When I turned like 16 or 17, it kind of flipped. I don't know what happened, but I got a little bit better at basketball. My body got a little more physical and I started getting a little more recognition for basketball than baseball. So, long story short, I got a scholarship to play in the US at Lenoir–Rhyne University. It's a small school. I wasn't a famous player or anything. I wasn't even one of the best players in the state of North Carolina really. I was an above-average-player that played at a Division Two college and I had a really good career at the D2 at Lenoir Rhyne. After that career, I wasn't sure if I was good enough to play professional but I had a few agents call me in my senior year. That was kind of the moment. I was like, “alright, so I can be a pro. Let's go.” And then my pro career started but honestly, it was a really slow, long process. Question: What happened after the agents called? Where did you play? Answer: My first job was in Spain. I played in Europe for a while, before I even came to Africa. I played in Spain for one year, went to Portugal for two years, then I went to Bulgaria which is in eastern Europe, and then to Luxembourg. After that, I came and started playing in Africa. Question: How did you come to Africa? Answer: A coach saw me playing in Spain and that particular coach was getting the job for Ferroviario da Beira which is the team that introduced me to Africa. It was random. He saw me playing, he liked my style of play, and he was like, “Hey, we need you here in Africa. Come play next year, we are going to try to make it to the BAL.” I didn't even know what the BAL was. It was just starting. But the rest is history. I have been in Africa ever since, so that's kind of how it happened. Question: When the idea of coming to African came knocking, what did you think? Answer: When he first told me, “Hey I got the job in Mozambique. We are going to play in the (local) league here and try to win because we need to go to the BAL qualifiers,” I was like, first of all I have never been to Africa; I was a little bit nervous to the lifestyle, which turned out to be amazing. The second problem was the way he was explaining how we get to the BAL, which is where everybody wants to play. It was really hard; you had to win the championship, to go to Road to BAL and win and get to the BAL. So, imagine you don't make it? Then what? I'm there for three months, we lose and I go home? Why not just stay in Europe and play a 10-month contract, really stable and have the life that I have had for the last five years? So, it was kind of a risk, but whatever, I will take a risk in life. So, I went to the team and it was crazy! We did two years in a row, winning the championship and qualifying for the BAL. Question: What have you learned playing in Africa? Answer: Africa is way different to Europe and the US where I grew up from. You have got to learn to be really mentally strong. On the court, it is a lot different; the game is super physical. Especially the Rwandese league is very physical, guys are super athletic and fast. So, you have to play a different style. In Europe, it's maybe a little more tactical. Africa is a little more athletic. Jumping, everyone is blocking shots, you have to deal with taller guys and faster guys. Off the court, every club I have been to in Africa is taking care of me really well. It's super nice to live in Africa. It's nothing like I thought it was. Kigali is like one of the nicest cities I've been in and one of the cleanest and safest. It's been a nice life on the court once I figured out a couple things that I mentioned – the physicality and how athletic the style. And the fans are crazy in Africa, very wild. They react to everything. You know, sometimes, overreact, but it makes it fun. Question: You have had a great start to life in the Rwandan league. Were you surprised? Answer: Not really, I expect to play good. I know I'm not the best player in the world, but I know who I am, I know what I do, and I am a pretty consistent player. I know everyone can have bad games of course, but over my career, I have been pretty consistent in what I'm good at, and if I get in the right mix of teammates, I know I can be one of the best point guards around.
