After a record-setting season from freshman guard Tyler Perkins, the Quakers’ top scorer in total points on the season and the all-time freshman scoring leader has entered the transfer portal. Perkins, a three-star recruit out of Virginia, will be exploring options to leave Penn after just one season with the Red and Blue.
Perkins’ decision to enter the portal marks the second consecutive season in which a star Quaker will leave. He follows in the footsteps of Jordan Dingle, the second-leading scorer in the nation during the 2022-23 season for Penn, who transferred to St. John’s after one of the better individual seasons in Quaker history.
Perkins is sure to have several opportunities to play in a power conference after averaging 13.7 points per game, along with 5.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He finished the year taking home three Ivy League Rookie of the Week awards, and finished 11th in the conference in points per game and tenth in rebounds. Perkins broke onto the scene early in the campaign, scoring 22 points in the Quakers’ massive upset over then-ranked Villanova in early November. He would top the 20-point mark four other times throughout the year.
The transfer comes on the heels of one of the worst seasons in recent memory for the Red and Blue, who finished seventh of eight in Ivy League play with a 3-11 conference record. Perkins took on a much larger role than expected throughout the year after senior guard Clark Slajchert suffered an ankle injury just weeks before Ivy play began and missed the majority of conference play.
With Slajchert graduating and entering the portal as a graduate transfer, and with the impending loss of Perkins, Penn will have to find several new producers at the guard position for the upcoming season.
Penn Athletics did not respond to a request for comment.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate