The end of an era has come for UTM women’s basketball, as two-time Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Player of the Year senior forward Chelsey Perry has declared for the 2021 Womens’ National Basketball Association (WNBA) Draft. With Perry’s intention to secure an agent, she thereby renounces her remaining collegiate eligibility and will be departing UTM.
If Perry were to be drafted into the WNBA, she would make history as not only the first Skyhawk to accomplish this feat, but also the first player from the OVC to do so. Perry, a 6-2 forward from Middleton, Tennessee, leaves behind a decorated legacy at UTM as one of the program’s most productive players. In addition to her multiple OVC Player of the Year nods, Perry also racked up 13 OVC weekly honors and led the team to two consecutive league championships in 2020 and 2021.
Though the Skyhawks fell just short of the OVC Tournament title in all four of Perry’s seasons, the Skyhawks sent her out with a bang in 2021, as the team won two postseason games in the Womens’ National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) en route to a consolation championship over Illinois State.
Statistically, Perry leaves UTM with some of the program’s best numbers. Perry leads the program in blocks (228), in addition to a career point total of 1,963, good enough for third in team history.
Perry became recognized nationally during her breakout junior campaign of 2019-20, when she was added to the Womens’ Basketball Coaches Association’s (WBCA) All-American honorable mention team and as a finalist for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award. During her breakout season, Perry ranked first nationally in field goals made (286), second in total points (740) and third in points per game (23.1) en route to leading UTM to a conference title and third-straight OVC Championship Tournament title game.
The 2021 WNBA draft will be held on Thursday, April 15. Those interested in watching the draft can do so through the ESPN app.
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