Tony’s tone is energetic: Since starting, Perkins key in Hawkeyes’ surge

When Iowa was 4-6 in Big Ten men’s basketball at the end of January, Tony Perkins was the player Coach Fran McCaffery inserted in his starting lineup.

It wasn’t as if the sophomore guard had been forcing McCaffery’s hand with great play. Perkins averaged 2.5 points and made just 5 of 18 shots in the four games immediately before he became the starting off guard, Jordan Bohannon was moved to the point, and Joe Toussaint switched from starting to backing up Bohannon.

But McCaffery sees what’s what at practice, and we don’t. Also, Perkins certainly had his moments during the season. He scored 14 points at Purdue and 16 against Illinois in back-to-back December games.

Perkins never topped five points or 18 minutes played in his first six games as a starter, but a shoulder ailment gradually healed, and he gained confidence in his new role.

You know what’s happened since that lineup change. Iowa is 12-2, with the most-recent four wins in Perkins’ Indianapolis hometown as the Hawkeyes charged to the Big Ten tournament championship.

Perkins averaged 10.3 points and a team-best 4.5 assists in that tourney. His aggressiveness on both ends of the floor has become a team staple. He took many an important shot in Indy, and has been a forceful piece in the Hawkeyes’ mosaic

“'l’ll always try to set the tone, energy at the beginning of the game,” Perkins said after Sunday’s Big Ten title-game win over Purdue, “and boost everybody's energy based off of defense and rebounding.”

Time after time in Indianapolis, Perkins drove the ball down the lane and challenged taller and talented opposition.

“He just comes after you,” McCaffery said. “He is fearless. He plays both ends, he has an uncanny ability to make a mistake and come right back and do something really well. He's committed to winning, he's not selfish at all.”

It is hard to remember a Hawkeye of recent vintage who has improved and emerged as much during a season as Perkins. Now, he is nothing short of vital.

Perkins’ other four top scholarship offers out of Lawrence North High in Indianapolis were from Ball State, Bradley, Miami (Ohio) and Toledo. There’s nothing wrong with any of those mid-majors, but they weren’t the Big Ten, and Perkins was from the heart of Big Ten country.

In 2020, Perkins was runner-up in the Indiana Mr. Basketball voting to Anthony Leal of Bloomington South, who plays at Indiana.

Jack Keefer has been the boys’ basketball coach at Lawrence North for 35 years. He’s an Indiana Basketball Hall of Famer, a coach of four state-championship teams. Before the 2020 Mr. Basketball voting, Keefer told The Gazette Perkins “is the most well-rounded of all.”

“He performed unbelievably well in big games,” said Keefer, who added that he told Iowa assistant coach Sherman Dillard “to get up here and take a look (at Perkins). He’s as good as we get.”

Iowa is 12-2 with Perkins starting. His play in February and March has supported his high school coach’s comments of March 2020, which also included these prophetic three words to Iowa fans:

“You’ll like him.”

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