Last spring, Trent Perry ’24 stood at half court, cutting down the net after leading Harvard-Westlake to its second straight state title. Six months later, Perry is sitting on UCLA’s bench, averaging 11.3 to 11.4 minutes per game, and spending most of his time watching from the sidelines.
At Harvard-Westlake, Perry averaged 18.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game in his senior year, shooting 47% from the field and 86% from the free-throw line, according to UCLA Athletics. He was named the 2024 California Gatorade Player of the Year, McDonald’s All-American and California Mr. Basketball after leading the Wolverines to win their second consecutive CIF Open Division State Championship. During his senior postseason run, Perry scored 17 points in the state final against Salesian College Prep and recorded 28 points and 8 rebounds in the regional final.
Balancing academics and athletics at Harvard-Westlake came with its challenges. Between early morning practices, travelling for tournaments and maintaining strong grades, Perry said there were times when it was difficult to manage everything at once. However, Perry said the experience prepared him for the next stage of competition and made the challenges worthwhile as he learned how to handle demanding schedules and expectations both in the classroom and on the court.
“Harvard-Westlake helped me out with handling the workload of things,” Perry said. “I took a lot of classes in high school, so the transition off the court, being able to manage my time more and having more free time in college helped me be more productive. Also, I had a really good coaching staff in high school, [which] really prepared me for the college level and the practices that happened here.”
Perry said having the opportunity to play at a competitive level has given him a sense of appreciation for everything he went through in high school.
“Being able to just play at a Division I level made all the hardships on and off the court in high school extremely worth it,” Perry
said. “I’m having a really good time and having a lot of experiences that people can only dream about or see from a distance. Actually being able to take a step back and realize where I’m at makes everything that I’ve been through worth it.”
Head of boys’ basketball David Rebibo trained Perry during his time at the school. Under Rebibo, the team won CIF in 2024 and a state championship in 2023 and 2024. Rebibo said Perry’s strong work ethic and growth throughout his high school career reflected his determination to improve every day.
“[Perry] was an exceptional worker and athlete,” Rebibo said. “He truly earned everything through effort, focus and consistency. He was always eager to improve and continually sought ways to grow both on and off the court. He really was a great athlete with incredible size. I believe those two things will pay dividends for him at UCLA.”
Perry said the adjustment from being a lead scorer in high school to spending more time on the bench at UCLA tested him in new ways as he learned to adapt to a different role on the team.
“Honestly, it was pretty challenging,” Perry said. “I had a lot of talks with the coaching staff here after the season, just trying to
figure everything out. It was actually good for me to take a step back.”
Perry said he leaned on his faith to understand his limited playing time and the challenges of his freshman year.
“I’m really big on faith, and I think sometimes things happen for a reason,” Perry said. “From my perspective, I feel like God is telling me, if you have to take a step back, you’re ultimately not ready to go to the next level yet, which is the NBA for me. So, being able to take on a lesser role during my freshman year and really watch from the bench helped me observe what the college atmosphere is like. I learned how harsh college fans can be, how fast the pace of play moves and how much focus and discipline it takes to perform at that high of a level.”
Perry said that because he had a lot of pressure to perform, he depended on Sports Psychologist Kat Scardino for support throughout his time at the school.
“There’s a lot of ups and downs in a season,” Perry said. “Especially in high school, there was a time when I was putting a lot of pressure on myself, even though I was only a sophomore. I would always talk to [Scardino], sometimes about mental health
tactics, but mostly just expressing what I was feeling within me to her.”
Rebibo said Perry’s experience at Harvard-Westlake helped him develop the discipline and structure needed to manage the
demands of college basketball.
“[Perry] has always been ready for the challenges of UCLA basketball,” Rebibo said. “He’s an incredible young man, disciplined, process-oriented and committed to the daily habits that lead to success. His time at Harvard-Westlake as a student-athlete prepared him extremely well for college life. With the independence college brings, many freshmen struggle to balance academics, training and recovery, but [Perry’s] maturity, structure and work ethic have allowed him to thrive.”
Perry said his experiences taught him to stay present and grateful as he continues his college journey and adjust to the demands of playing at the collegiate level.
“I always just remember to be where my feet are, always be grateful and keep pushing forward always,” Perry said.
