Vandals temper bad news with good
The University of Idaho men’s basketball team was dealt another tough blow when it learned this week that center Mike Kale won’t play this season. The Vandals’ future outlook is brightening, however, with news that former Washington Husky Harvey Perry is transferring to Idaho.
Kale, a junior who has more Division I experience than anyone on Idaho’s roster, hasn’t played this season because of patellar tendinitis in his knee. He said last week he was optimistic that he would be able to return for Saturday’s home game against South Dakota State. Instead, the 6-foot-8, 240-pounder from Henderson, Nev., will undergo surgery.
“He’s going to have surgery and he’s going to be done for the year,” Idaho coach George Pfeifer said.
Recovery time is between six to eight months, Pfeifer said.
Kale played in 59 games in his first two seasons at Idaho, averaging 3.7 points and 3.4 rebounds. Idaho (1-10) is also without 6-10 post Sebastien Taulbee (knee), which has resulted in extended minutes for Desmond Nwoke and walk-on Andrew Madsen, a 6-6 junior who played at Lewiston High. Starting point guard Mario Mackey quit the team earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Perry said Wednesday that he will enroll at Idaho in January for spring semester. Under NCAA transfer rules, Perry would become eligible to play for the Vandals next December.
The 6-4, 210-pound combo guard left Washington after participating in four of the team’s first six games. He averaged 8.8 minutes and 2.8 points.
“It was just playing time, for the most part,” Perry, a redshirt freshman, said of his reasons for transferring.
Perry, who played at Cheyenne High in North Las Vegas, considered Idaho and Pepperdine before choosing the Vandals. Perry has known Idaho assistant coach DeMarlo Slocum for years and he once played on an AAU team coached by Slocum. Perry also played with Kale on an AAU team and he’s friends with Andre McFarland, who has signed with Idaho.
“DeMarlo and I have a close relationship and Andre’s another player coming there next year,” Perry said. “I just felt Idaho was a better fit for me (than Pepperdine).”
Perry’s last game action at Washington came in an 87-66 victory over the Vandals on Nov. 29. He scored one point and had two rebounds.
“Obviously, we wish him the best because there is definitely no ill will on our end toward Harvey,” Huskies coach Lorenzo Romar said in a UW release in early December. “We wish it could have worked out, but sometimes these things happen.”
Perry was ranked No. 59 in the 2005 recruiting class by Rivals.com. He redshirted last season at Washington after suffering a stress fracture in his lower back.