Perry basketball ends their summer hosting another play date

PERRY — Head coach Mark Gainous and the Perry Panthers are trying to make basketball relevant again in the Perry community.

For the last couple of years Gainous and the Panthers have hosted numerous “play dates” in the summer, bringing in a plethora of different teams for basketball scrimmages.

PHOTOS: See pictures of the Panthers and more teams from Wednesday’s scrimmages.

On Wednesday they hosted Northside, Valdosta, Veterans and Warner Robins for six scrimmages.

“I want people to be excited about basketball, not only in Perry, but in Houston County. I just want kids in the gym,” Gainous said. “It’s pretty neat that we can actually run an event and referee each other at the games. There haven’t been any problems…Just getting fans in here, [it’s] something to do in the summer that’s fun.”

Perry played three games on Wednesday: Junior varsity against Valdosta and varsity against Valdosta and Northside.

It’s been established that the Panthers have a very young team going into the year, and that’s been evident throughout the scrimmages. But there are still several upperclassmen who’ve stuck out to Gainous.

“We only have one senior, that’s Julian Parker. I think he’s had a really nice summer,” Gainous said. “Castor Engelbach and Jaiden Coleman are two of the juniors, but our team’s majority sophomores and juniors.”

Coleman looks promising as a perimeter defender, and though he did get beat several times against quicker Valdosta guards, he shows promise poking the ball lose and staying with ball handlers in transition.

Coleman also had a good stroke from beyond the three-point line on Wednesday, which would be an invaluable tool for him as he figures out his role on the team.

Engelbach is the primary offensive presence down low, he’s at his best putting back missed shots at the rim. He flashes skills off the dribble in situations close to the rim, but finishing consistently is still a work in progress.

It’s not easy to get teams in one place regardless of the time period. However, Gainous and the Panthers have accomplished that for some quality summer basketball in recent years.