Philly wing is Big Ten bound

Every year, you can almost bet Philly Lutheran head coach Darryl Schofield is going to have a handful of national sleepers on his roster. It happens every year. Last year he had Maurice Thomas, Stefon Jackson and Chris Matthews. All three were popular prospects in the spring and this year it looks like Malik Perry is taking the same path. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound wing is headed to the Big Ten.

Christmas came early for Perry as he committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday.

Since shining at the start of the season at the National Prep School Tip-Off Showcase, Perry has been a popular guy with recruiters this winter. Iowa was one of the many schools that were intrigued by the Philly native and extended an offer and before other high-majors decided to turn the heat up.

Schofield said Rhode Island and Providence and Schofield says Tennessee was also showing interest.

"I feel real good right now," Perry told Rivals.com. "I felt the most comfortable with them. It's a big school in a big conference. Plus every time I talk to (assistant coach Craig Neal) he's real excited about me coming there and happy that I wanted to come to Iowa."

The Hawkeyes are getting a tough-nosed, hard-working, athletic wing player that is beginning to tap into his overall potential, says Schofield.

"He's gotten a lot better," Schofield said. "Malik is athletic but he is shooting the ball really well and a lot of that has to do with that fact he's learning how to play with other people. He used to be a guy that didn't want to take a shot because if he missed, he thought he would be coming out. I told him just to shoot the ball and if he missed, then keep playing. I wasn't going to take him out. He's been doing that and playing really well."

Perry knows he has to continue to work hard in order to be successful in the Big Ten.

"They said they see me coming in as a combo wing. I want to be able to utilize my athleticism and just play hard enough to keep me on the floor," Perry said. "They said I will probably come off the bench and earn my way as a starter if I keep working hard. I'm still improving. I want to prove to people that I can play."