Rattler players sign NLI to play at the next level

San Marcos’ own Mateus Perkins and Malik Presley signed their letters of intent Monday to further their basketball careers and play at the collegiate level.

Joining Kaden Gumbs and Jayven Cofer, Perkins signed with Concordia University in Austin while Presley signed with Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, bringing the total to four San Marcos basketball players to play at the college level for Head Coach Dan Miller.

“I’m really proud of all four of those guys,” Miller said. “All four of them wanted to play college basketball and now they are able to achieve that goal. It was definitely something that was earned for them.”

While Miller was proud of his players for finding their prospective colleges, Miller said he is most happy about the four seniors finding a school where they have the potential to succeed.

“Most importantly, they all found really good fits,” Miller said. “Kaden at Texas State where he has a chance to be their point guard really early, Jayven going to a junior college where he will be allowed to play early as a point guard at a Top 10 junior college in the nation. Mateus really fits Concordia’s style of play with how they play fast and press like we do, and then Malik with Vanderbilt, who was looking for a scoring wing to develop and mold in the style of their Head Coach Jerry Stackhouse.”

After receiving offers from Texas, Texas A&M, LSU and Arkansas to name a few, Presley signed with Vanderbilt.

One of the reasons for signing with the Commodores was the location of Vanderbilt.

“The city of Nashville is really nice,” Presley said. “I went there on my official visit and walked around downtown for a little bit. It was just really good vibes out there. It’s a really positive environment.”

But the location was not the only reason Presley wanted to play at Vanderbilt.

“It was about playing in the SEC and playing under Jerry Stackhouse,” Presley said. “I know he has ties to the league (NBA) so I feel like that’s the spot. If I want to get there, I need to be around guys who have been there and worked with players that have got to the league. The team has really good guys. I talked to them and we got along. It’s going to be fun for the next two years.”

As for Perkins, the senior center was the opposite by wanting to be closer to San Marcos, while wanting to play for Concordia Head Coach Stan Bonewitz.

“I wanted to stay close to home,” Perkins said. “I didn’t want to go too far out. But I also love the coach over there. He was really a good player in the past and he is a great coach.”

Much like Presley, Cofer decided to play out of state, signing his letter of intent with Coffeyville Community College in Kansas.

Much like Perkins, Cofer said he really enjoys his new Head Coach Jay Herkelman.

“The coach is a really great coach,” Cofer said. “I feel like he can get me where I need to be, which is to the next level. I obviously enjoyed the team and the town which was real home-like. I really enjoyed that city.”

With four players heading to play college basketball, Miller is happy that the quartet is the shining beacon of hope for future San Marcos basketball players.

“That is the one thing that I’m most proud of for this team,” Miller said. “They set a great example for kids in this community, that if you want something bad enough, you put in the work, and you have some talent, you can make it happen. These guys wanted to win the district, make the playoffs, make school history, but they also wanted to play college basketball. It shows that you have to stay in school, but make good grades to make these things possible.”

cmcwilliams@sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc