Former Women’s Basketball: Family, friends ready to honor Perrot’s life

Kevin Foote, The Advertiser, January 15, 2015

 

For some, the Kim Perrot Memorial Weekend that kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday with a social at the Petroleum Club will be an ending.

The long wait for Perrot to be recognized with a banner in the Cajundome rafters next to the top Ragin’ Cajun men’s players is over.

That will end during halftime ceremonies of Saturday’s 5 p.m. women’s game against South Alabama with the official unveiling of Kim Perrot’s No. 12 banner, along side the likes of Bo Lamar, Andrew Toney, Marvin Winkler and Dean Church.

For most, though, it will actually be a beginning. For the area’s younger fans who weren’t around when Perrot played at UL from 1986-90 or led the Houston Comets to two WNBA titles in 1997-98, the educational process of one of the athletic department’s best careers will begin on Saturday.

For longtime friend Markus Lewis, however, this weekend goes so much farther than that.

"To me, it’s a great awakening," said Lewis, who grew up on the same street as Perrot in North Lafayette and was a 1979 Acadiana High graduate out of Truman. "The doors are open now. This will jumpstart something that’s been down for a long, long time. It’s long overdue."

 

Lewis is referring to a push to reignite a social movement in the neighborhood he and the Perrot family grew up in. Several of Perrot’s family members – like sister Loretta Perrot Hunter and aunt Joycelyn Boze – are currently involved in a process to bring many of the youth initiatives in Kim’s name in Houston to Lafayette where the honored star grew up.

"That was Kim’s dream," Boze said.

Perrot Hunter helps run the Kim Perrot Vision of Life, which is "a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of after-school programs and advocating for quality, affordable (learning) programs for all children."

She recently moved back to Lafayette from the Houston area to bring Kim’s vision of helping the youth of America back home.

"Where we grew up, it wasn’t about poverty so much," Lewis said. "Sure, it was hard, but there was respect and love. We all knew each other. We were properly raised. There was respect,. Yes sir, yes ma’am. We were blessed to grow up there. It was rooted in good things. That neighborhood was totally blessed by God. It’s time to get back to that and it’s going to happen."

Kim’s mother, Consuella Perrot, said the message that her daughter would have been delivering to the youth of this area after her career was over if not for her untimely death was to pursue their dreams.

"Kim believed that it didn’t matter if you were black, white, green or gray," Consuella Perrot said. "It doesn’t matter if you are tall or short or whatever, you can do it. You can be poor or rich. You can come from anywhere in the world. None of that matters. You can do it if you work hard enough.

"Nothing was going to keep Kim from fulfilling her dreams."

While some told Kim she was too short or too poor or too thin to become a world renowned basketball star, many who saw her play from her early days were sold long before the rest of the world caught on.

"We played basketball into the night many times growing up – dusk to dawn," Lewis said. "Sometimes we played where the basket was the rim of a tire. Kim was really special. We knew it back then."

Lewis said he remembers days when Kim and his younger brother, Wayne, delighted neighborhood basketball fans.

"When it was their turn, people watched. Kim was competing against the boys. It was fascinating. Wayne and Kim were inseparable. Watching them grow up and knowing the person Kim was, even way back then, it was truly a blessing."

Wayne Lewis teamed with Stephen Beene on the 1984 Rams’ team that reached the state quarterfinals for the first time in school history. He now lives in Milwaukee. He did play basketball in a military league –"He once scored 52 points in a game."

Former Houston Comets’ head coach Van Chancellor obviously didn’t know Perrot way back then.

In fact, he often tells the story that he didn’t even like her after she made the team after a tryout, saying that he’d bring in waves of potential point guards to compete against her.

"And none of them could ever beat her out," Chancellor said.

Over time, Chancellor learned exactly how special of a point guard he had in this head-strong girl from South Louisiana.

"I can remember trying to give her a break during practice and I’d look over and she’d be doing sit-ups – feet in the air, head in the air – the hard kind," Chancellor said. "She never stopped working."

Chancellor said he was elated to find out that UL was recognizing Perrot in such a special way this weekend.

"It’s real important," he said. "She was such a great person. Just a special, special person. She loved people.

"As a player, she was so dedicated. All of her teammates just loved her to death. Houston just really embraced her."

For others who knew Perrot off the court, like Boze, it wasn’t until she began shining with the Comets that she realized exactly how special of a basketball player her niece was.

Before leaving to play in European leagues, Perrot lived for a stretch with Boze in her Houston home. She later did as well when she came back home to try to make the Comets’ roster.

"I didn’t know she was as good as she wasfor a long time," Boze said. "I remember when she called me about wanting to try out for the Comets. I believe she was in Israel at the time and the team didn’t want to let her leave. I just asked her, ‘Kim, do you think you can make the team?’ She said without hesitation, ‘Yes.’ I told her to not let them stop her.

"That’s when I started to fully experience exactly how good she was at basketball."

Indeed, Boze would soon see firsthand how determined Perrot was.

"Her importance in life was one, God, two family, three her friends, four the fans," Boze said. "She demanded us to be there (when she played for the Comets). She would always look up in the stands to make sure we were there."

Boze said Perrot so looked forward to "helping the young kids in her hometown and motivating them and inspiring them to chase their dreams. She was a great leader."

Boze, Chancellor and so many other family and friends will invade Lafayette this weekend to join in the celebration of her life and the influence its still enjoying.

"I’m proud of the city of Lafayette and the university for honoring Kim in this way," Boze said. "It’s a humbling experience."

Kim Perrot’s School Records

Career

Points – 2,157

Steals – 421

Assists – 654

Field Goals Made – 828

Field Goals Attempted – 2,003

Free Throws Made – 299

Free Throws Attempted – 553

Single Season

Points – 839 (1989-90)

Scoring Average – 30.0 (1989-90)

Field Goals Made – 309 (1989-90)

Free Throws Made – 128 (1989-90)

Assists – 191 (1986-87)

Assists Per Game – 7.1 (1986-87)

Steals – 143 (1989-90)

Steals Per Game – 5.1 (1989-90)

Single Game

Points – 58 (Feb. 5, 1990 vs. Southeastern Louisiana, OT) Field Goals Made – 20 (Feb. 5, 1990 vs. Southeastern Louisiana, OT) Field Goals Attempted – 40 (Feb. 5, 1990 vs. Southeastern Louisiana, OT) Steals – 11, 2 times (Feb. 2, 1989 vs. Arkansas State, Jan. 18, 1990 vs. New Orleans)