Jose Perez makes professional debut after leaving Arizona State

Former Arizona State guard Jose Perez made his professional debut on Sunday after leaving the Sun Devils before the conclusion of the season.

Perez played in the Dominican Republic for Plaza Valerio in the Santiago Superior Basketball Tournament.

jose perez played his first pro game yesterday since leaving asu for plaza valerio in the santiago superior basketball tournament (dominican republic).

he totaled 8 points on 3-11 (0-4 3p, 2-3 ft), 5 rebounds and 4 assists, a +1 in a 9-point ot loss (played 39:39 out of 45 min). https://t.co/J5x0AM2v0m pic.twitter.com/Tx23RM946h

— Damon Allred (@iamdamonallred) March 11, 2024

Perez was not seen on the floor for Arizona State prior to Saturday’s matchup with UCLA, the Sun Devils’ last game before the Pac-12 Tournament. The school then confirmed Perez had left the program.

Perez posted on social media the next day, thanking the school and coach Bobby Hurley while citing personal family circumstances as to why he was departing.

“There are no hard feelings between me and anyone at Arizona State and this was solely my decision to be made,” he wrote. “It is what I felt was best for my family at this time.”

Arizona State faces Utah in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament on Wednesday.

A senior transfer who had stints at Gardner-Webb, Marquette, Manhattan and West Virginia, Perez was ASU’s second-leading scorer at 13.5 points per game to go along with 3.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists.

“I understand where Jose was coming from in terms of what he needed to do for his family,” Hurley told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Tuesday. “He’s an older player, he had an opportunity to make pretty good money. I know he struggled with the decision of what he should do and we had a conversation about it.

“I thought he’d stay the course and finish the season out. As it turned out, he ultimately made a decision in the best interest of him and his family.”

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