Perez Living Up To Coach’s Expectations

Karen Perez, a Springdale junior, drives to the basket against Springdale Har-Ber during Tuesday’s game at Springdale High.
Karen Perez, a Springdale junior, drives to the basket against Springdale Har-Ber during Tuesday’s game at Springdale High.

— Karen Perez got a membership to the Springdale Youth Center for those times early in the morning or late at night when her high school gymnasium is locked.

“You can’t get her out of the gym,” Springdale High girls basketball coach Heather Hunsucker said.

Perez realized she needed to work on her shot after Hunsucker showed her that she made only 44 percent of her attempts as a sophomore last season.

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Karen Perez

SCHOOL: Springdale High

CLASS: Junior

HEIGHT: 5-7

NOTABLE: Has started all but three of Springdale’s game this season after serving as a backup last year. ... Averaging 7.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, which are significant improvements from his numbers as a sophomore (2.2 ppg. and 1.7 rpg.). ... Her 134 points this season is already more than double what she scored all of last year (62 points).

As a result, Perez spent much of the offseason inside Bulldog Gymnasium, trying to develop her outside shot. However, the gym couldn’t stay open 24 hours a day, so Perez and fellow Springdale post player Ashley Dederich would head to the youth center to keep working on their game.

“I had to make 50 shots from each side,” Perez said.

Hunsucker was so impressed by Perez’s development over the summer that she expected the 5-foot-7 junior to have a breakout season this fall. And the coach’s prediction has looked good heading into Springdale’s home game against longtime rival Fayetteville at 6 p.m. today.

Now that Perez has increased her range and improved her conditioning, she has gone from a backup who played sparingly last season to an aggressive inside presence for the Lady Bulldogs (6-10, 1-3 7A/6A-West Conference).

“She’s always been really good around the basket. She’s better now than she was,” Hunsucker said. “But the part I’ve seen Karen improve on is the range that she now has on the outside.”

Perez has increased her shooting percentage to 47.9 percent this season, and she’s already doubled her point total from a year ago. She has improved her scoring average from 2.2 points per game last season to 7.1 ppg. this year, and her rebounding has gone up from 1.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore to now 5.0 rpg.

Perez has accomplished this despite being undersized for a post player. She’s often several inches shorter than the player she’s forced to block out around the basket.

“I always tell the girls it takes a lot to make me mad to the point where I’m going to hurt you,” Perez said, smiling. “But in the 7A/6A-West, you have to be physical otherwise you’re going to get beat up out there. It’s not whether you want to or not. You have to.”

Along with becoming a more consistent shooter, Hunsucker said she wanted Perez to get into better shape in offseason, so she could be more effective in Springdale’s up-tempo offense. So, Perez headed to the youth center, where she spent long stretches running on a treadmill.

“Karen had to get into game shape, and she heard that,” Hunsucker said. “She has spent a tremendous amount of time lifting, doing agilities, eating better, and she has confidence about that, too.

“There is a definite, definite difference in her foot speed. There is a difference in the way that she moves laterally on defense.”

Perez has started all but three games this season, and she’s proven to be one of the Lady Bulldogs’ top defenders. It’s a big improvement from her sophomore year, when Hunsucker said Perez looked lost at times.

“It takes time getting used to because last year I had the seniors, the juniors as a sophomore to fall back on,” Perez said. “If I messed up, they were always there to pick up for my mistakes.

“And this year I’m the one who has to do that.”

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