North Texas guard Tylor Perry gives Kansas State basketball first portal recruiting win

Tylor Perry said he wants to go out a winner, and there is good reason to take him at his word.

He already has done plenty of that.

After helping lead North Texas to the NIT championship last month, Perry announced Tuesday night that he will finish his college basketball career at Kansas State, making him coach Jerome Tang's first transfer portal pickup for the 2023 recruiting class.

Perry, a 5-foot-11 guard from Fort Coffee, Oklahoma, also won a national championship at Coffeyville Community College as a sophomore in 2021. He has one season of eligibility left at K-State, where he hopes to add one more trophy to his collection.

"That's the biggest thing for me," said Perry, who averaged 17.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists this past season on his way to receiving Conference USA player of the year and NIT most outstanding player honors. "I don't want anybody thinking I'm coming in and try to stat-pad or do anything like that.

More: Jerome Tang taking steps to keep Kansas State basketball moving forward in second season

"I just want to get to the (NCAA Tournament). That's the only thing left on my resume and that's the only thing I'm fighting for, is giving K-State fans another shot at that national championship next year, and hopefully getting coach Tang his first one."

In Perry, K-State landed one of the top players left in the portal and they hope someone who can fill the void left by point guard Markquis Nowell. While he has never come close to Nowell's 8.3 assists per game this season, he gives the Wildcats a proven scorer who shot 39.8% from 3-point range and 87% from the foul line this past season for a Mean Green team that went 31-7.

"A guy that can stretch the floor and score at all three levels and who can pass and just do everything I can to win," Perry said in describing his game.

Perry is the fourth member of K-State's 2023 recruiting class. The Wildcats signed four-star guards Darrin Ames and R.J. Jones, plus 6-7 three-star forward Macaleab Rich in November.

More: Jerome Tang is determined to upgrade Kansas State basketball's talent for upcoming season

Assuming forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin decides to return after testing the NBA waters and senior Keyontae Johnson does not, Tang still has three scholarships available. He said after the Wildcats' NCAA Tournament run to the Elite Eight that he hoped to sign a pair of veteran guards from the portal to replace super-seniors Nowell and Desi Sills.

While the Wildcats beat out Ole Miss, Florida and Texas Tech to land Perry, they lost out on Oral Roberts point guard Max Abmas, another major recruiting target who signed with Texas.

Perry said that Nowell's breakout year in Tang's first season as K-State coach influenced his decision to pick K-State. The 5-foot-7 Nowell led the Wildcats in scoring with 17.6 points per game and the Big 12 in both assists and steals, plus went off during the Wildcats' NCAA Tournament run.

"Me and Markquis actually got to know each other last summer when we went to a black student athlete convention, and we got pretty close then," Perry said. "And I watched him from afar. I've always been a fan of his.

"I’m not trying to go in there and be him or do exactly what he did, but he set the standard for what you've got to do at the point guard position at that size to get a chance on the next level."

Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State men's basketball recruits North Texas guard Tylor Perry