Ex-Clemson scoring leader Perry joins South Carolina, Staley
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Former Clemson leading scorer Nelly Perry is changing sides in the Palmetto State's biggest sports rivalry.
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley announced that Perry is joining the Gamecocks as a graduate transfer. Perry had led the Tigers with 12.7 points a game in the 2016-17 season, but missed last year with a shoulder injury. Perry, a 5-foot-10 guard, decided to leave Clemson after coach Audra Smith was let go in March.
Smith is a friend, ex-Virginia teammate and one-time roommate of Staley.
Staley says Perry is an impact player ''who will bring a wealth of experience'' to South Carolina.
Perry averaged 14.3 points a game as a sophomore in 2015-16. She bolsters a backcourt that lost Bianca Cuevas-Moore and Victoria Patrick to transfers and this year's grad transfer Lindsey Spann.
