Mick Pernell Shows He's Got Game

The Naugatuck boys basketball team went through some growing pains this season culminating with a 3-17 record for first year head coach Mike Wilson.But there were a few bright spots along the way as the new head coach found a couple of diamonds in the rough.

The Greyhounds head into the off-season with a few building blocks in place and that should translate into a few more ‘W’s in the win column for next season. Naugatuck found a stabilizing influence in the paint with sophomore Brandon Kuczenski knocking down a 15.9 average 9th in the NVL in scoring.

As far as the Greyhounds offense is concerned one of the biggest roles is well in hand with sophomore point guard Mick Pernell bringing the rock up the court. Pernell has found a way to add a spark to the offense dropping in 10.5 per game through the net.

Last week in a win over Seymour Pernell threw down a career high 24 points to lead Naugatuck to a come from behind victory.

“Mick came out and worked hard earning a starting role,” said Naugatuck head coach Mike Wilson. “He certainly is in a tough position at point guard. He is responsible for bringing the ball up court through some of the toughest defenses in the league. But he has responded well. I knew he had the ball handling abilities but he has found his shot and he can literally take over a game.”

That was evident in the Seymour game as Naugatuck trailed by five at the half. Pernell heated up in the second half on his way to a career high of 24 points. The Hounds sophomore point guard saved his best for last knocking down 9 points in the final period as Naugatuck pulled out the 61-54 win.

Six times in the last eight games Pernell threw down double-digit points to give Naugatuck a strong inside-outside presence between Kuczenski and Pernell.

“I think playing on the freshman team together helped us to develop our game,” said Pernell. “We know where each other is on the court. I knew coming into the season that I would play a key role bringing the ball up court but I didn’t think I would be playing the amount of minutes I’m playing.”

“As far as scoring goes I was hoping to put up maybe six to eight points a game. I have worked hard to get better and it’s paying off allowing me to score double figures.”

Pernell played AAU ball for the Connecticut Stars to get ready for the season and is planning on attending the Hoop Mountain basketball came over the summer to enhance his game even further.

“I think we are going to be even better next season,” added Pernell. “And having Mr. Wilson as our coach has been a great experience.”

Pernell called Wilson “energetic” and “positive.”
“He works hard in practice showing us different drills and I know he’s helped me to improve my game,” Pernell said. “I can’t wait for next season to start because I think we are going to be a much better team.”