Big man Perry expecting big Magic run home

Featured image: @hyperfocusimages | Michael Bailey

Jock Perry's career might not have gone how he envisioned but he couldn't be happier at the same time with settling into playing NBL1 and overseas since rupturing his ACL, and his new NBL1 West home with Mandurah Magic came just at the right time.

Perry might have not started playing basketball until relatively late and having a string of broken bones largely contributed by his height was a factor in that, but by the time he arrived at the Centre of Excellence as a 16-year-old, he started thinking how he might like his career panning out.

Things might not have quite gone to plan but that's far from a negative with Perry still having had a strong college career firstly at Saint Mary's and then University of California, Irvine.

He has regularly been playing NBL1 since returning with stints at the Ballarat Miners, Casey Cavaliers and Diamond Valley Eagles, and did get a chance in the NBL as he dreamed at the Tasmania JackJumpers.

But since then and having overcome a knee reconstruction, he has played in Malaysia, India and China, and now is embracing a new NBL1 experience this season with Mandurah who he remains confident in they can make a run.

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Given he ended up growing to over seven-foot tall, it was only natural for Perry to have lofty ambitiions of having a long career at the highest level possible, and there's no reason he still couldn’t make an impact in the NBL.

But at the same time, he couldn’t be happier with what he's already been able to achieve firstly at college and now across a variety of NBL1 teams, and overseas over the last three years including winning a championship in India with the Gujarat Stallions back in 2025.

"I definitely think the 15, 16-year-old Jock when I moved up to Canberra didn’t think this would be the way my career was going to go," Perry said.

"But having said that, I think that's the way life is and I don't think life ever plans out how you thought it would and it's about making the most of the opportunities you work hard for and are given.

"I wouldn’t change the experiences I've had and I've got to meet some amazing people all over the world and see some amazing places through the game of basketball.

"I feel really lucky and playing overseas means you are going over there just to play. There's none of that being a training player or being on the end of the bench, you're going there to play and do what you love and experience a new culture.

"Although it's not what I set out to do, I'm definitely thankful for it and feel thankful for the opportunities."

This season in Mandurah so far

Perry was quick to jump at the chance to come to Mandurah for the 2026 NBL1 West season when one of the icons of Western Australian basketball, Mark Utley, gave him a call as coach of the Magic.

Once Perry also heard that his now housemate Matt Kenyon was coming too his interest was raised. Then once he found out about imports Michael Dupree and Michael Christmas, and looked into the likes of Lachlan Bertram and Ryan Blanchett, and he knew it was a team he wanted part of.

While things haven’t quite clicked yet with the Magic sitting at a 4-9 record having lost their first six games without Kenyon, Dupree and Christmas, Perry remains confident they can click the rest of the way and sneak into the playoffs, and make an impact.

"It's been an up and down season so far I would say," Perry said.

"We started quite bad but we've been building and the fact that we started bad is probably more to do with everyone getting in late and not having a lot of time together as a team.

"We always felt the potential was there, but it was just about putting it together for 40 minutes together on the floor in the beginning.

"But now as we've added our players and we've had a bit more continuity out on the floor together, I really do feel like the sky's the limit for us. If we can play the right way for 40 minutes, we'll be a tough team to beat."

Just need to stay on the court together

So far out of the 13 games that Mandurah have played this season, only three have featured all of Kenyon, Perry, Dupree, Bertram, Christmas and Blanchett.

However, when you think of your first six players, that's as good as any team across the NBL1 can just about put out there. That's why Perry remains so confident of what they can do provided that group can now be out on the floor the rest of the way.

"The biggest factor for us so far has just been trying to all get on the court together, but it's exciting and you can feel it in the group what we're capable of," Perry said.

"We can feel we're building and creating some momentum snowballing downhill a little bit, and we just need to keep it rolling."

Coming across to Mandurah

Perry had the reaction of most players when first speaking with Mandurah's 2024 championship coach Utley and that was that he was someone that he would love to play for.

So that was a big reason why he was swayed to come play for the Magic in 2026 but far from the only reason and he did feel it was time for a change of scenery at least on the NBL1 front for him.

"There was a couple of combining factors and I did like what Mark told me when we started talking about it, but that wasn’t the only thing," Perry said.

"I had been in the South for three years post my NBL stint and doing my ACL and I really felt like I was ready for a change.

"I heard how beautiful how Mandurah was, I loved the community aspect that I heard about and I love the ocean, and I get to go to the ocean every day.

"We're living right on the water and it was just an opportunity that I really feel like came at the right time for me.

"My partner was able to come over and she continues to work so it really ticked all boxes and I feel like I've made myself a little home away from home here."

Returning from knee injury

Coming off NBL22 with the JackJumpers where he did hit the floor 17 times, Perry started that NBL1 South season with Casey and then tragedy struck when he ruptured his ACL meaning that there would be no opportunity for him come NBL23.

He was able to return to play the last 14 games of the NBL1 South season with Diamond Valley in 2023, but in so many ways the timing couldn’t have been worse for him when it happened.

However, when he reflects now and the news is good that the recovery has gone so well since and he is healthy and playing so well since, it could have been a blessing in disguise in a way.

"One of the bigger challenges I faced was that I did my ACL after the NBL season when I was playing NBL1 so I didn’t have that network behind me to help with my rehab like I would have if I was in the NBL," Perry said.

"So I really had to lean on my connections back at home to help find a team around so that was probably the biggest challenge.

"But as far as knee injuries go, I was quite because it was just the ACL and no other complications so I was able to come back for nine and-a-half months.

"That's pretty quick for somebody my size I think and for my body and my game, I've never been the most explosive or quickest athlete.

"But having nine months to really focus on my leg strength and my hips, I really felt when I stepped back on the court after that time that I was refreshed and ready to go. I felt stronger than I was and I know it's a cliché and a lot of people say that, but I really feel that.

"Three years now post the surgery it hasn’t bothered me, touchwood, since and I'm feeling good."

Game getting better all the time

One thing that Perry heard endlessly when he was growing up and given his size was that big men usually reach their peaks later in their careers than smaller basketball players.

He didn’t necessarily listen to that too much when he was younger, but now that he is 29 and right in the middle of that peak people told him about, he can see exactly what he was talking about.

Now that he's fully healed from that knee injury, physically he feels better than he ever has and he feels his game is in its best ever place too as someone who can obviously score inside, but also at all three levels while his passing and all-round game has never been better either.

"Growing up as a young big man, everyone always told me that your best years are ahead of you and will probably be from 27 to 32 or 33," Perry said.

"I can really feel that within myself now too and I feel a bit stronger, a bit quicker and my confidence in building.

"I think right now with the talent we have on our team, I don't get to shoot 20, 25 shots a game so I'm really trying to be efficient and make the most of my opportunities. That's probably helping how my game's looking and I am feeling good about it right now."

Happy to keep living this life

While things can always change and Perry wouldn't pass up another NBL chance should it eventuate, given the way he's enjoyed the past three years playing in Asia and then coming back to play NBL1, he'd be more than happy to keep that rolling.

Given how much he has enjoyed a first season in Mandurah so far, he'd be more than open to coming back to the NBL1 West in 2026 but a lot of that will just end up coming down to where he plays in between.

"I actually speak about it with my partner often and of course if an NBL opportunity came up you'd definitely consider it, but the lifestyle of getting to play overseas and then coming back to play NBL1 is hard to pass up too," Perry said.

"I feel like NBL1 is growing every year and it's definitely a lifestyle I could happily live and make a good living doing too so I'm excited by that."