Vol State student Isaiah Perry plays forward position on the Pioneer basketball team, but he only just recently got into the sport. Basketball talent runs in Isaiah's family, and his cousin, Chelsey Perry, plays in the WNBA. However, Isaiah didn't start playing basketball until his last year of high school. “I was on the basketball team in high school, but I didn’t get in until my senior year,” said Isaiah. “I didn’t want to sit on the bench anymore, so I started working my tail off. It caused me to never get cocky because I know what it’s like to sit on the bench and never play.”
Isaiah began to excel in basketball. “My senior year I had a great season,” he said. “I got scholarships from numerous places to play ball.” He is currently writing a book about his basketball experience titled, The Bench Made Me Humble, and he plans to finish it this summer.
Isaiah may be a talented basketball player, but he’s also a singer with a passion. Isaiah sings in a gospel group called Fred Perry and the 2nd Generation with his father and his two brothers. “When we were young, we would always play around the house and sing,” he said. “My father started a church, and the church wasn’t really big at first, so the praise and worship team was just me and my brothers. Then, people started wanting us to sing in programs outside of Sunday church.” Now, Isaiah’s band has played in over twenty-five states including Connecticut, New York, Wisconsin, Florida, and California. They currently have two albums out on major streaming services.
Isaiah has always been very involved in his church. “When I was young, I always wanted to go stand on the pulpit with my father. So, one time my mom got tired of it and she let me go up there. Everyone said, ‘Yeah, he’s going to be a preacher someday.’ After service, I thought, ‘Wow. I think I want to be a minister.’ That happened when I was thirteen.” Isaiah continues to minister in his church with his father.
Isaiah is majoring in mechanical engineering at Vol State and continues to perform in his band. You can find out more about Isaiah’s band here: https://www.facebook.com/fredp2g/.
