Soon Perez, who spent the last five seasons with the Dayton Flyers women’s basketball team, will have many more memories from the Olympics. She’s a member of the Puerto Rico national team, which plays Serbia in its first game at 3 p.m. Sunday at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France.
The University of Dayton arranged a Zoom call for local media with Perez on Monday. At that point, she was with the team in Dijon, France. She said they would travel to Paris on Wednesday two days before the opening ceremony.
“It’s just a lot of excitement, honestly,” Perez said. “You always dream about being an Olympian and playing in the Olympics. I’m just super excited and super grateful. I have so much gratitude running through my body right now. I’m super grateful my coaches allowed me to play here and grateful for my family members and my coaches and friends and teammates that pushed me. Without them, I honestly would not be in the position I am today.”
Dayton coach Tamika Williams-Jeter tried out for the United States Olympic team multiple times in her career and said she might have made the team in 2008 but had just retired. She said she’s “super happy” for Perez.
“She’s a great teammate,” Williams-Jeter said. “She did a lot for this program, especially in this situation she was left with when I came in as a new coach. I’m super proud of her. And what an experience. To play in the Olympics is just the epitome of what we do.”
Perez, a 6-foot-3 forward from Newark, N.J., who scored 715 points in her Dayton career, traveled with the team to Europe not knowing if she would make the final roster. She said she didn’t get the news until after practice games against Germany and Portugal in Poland five days before her interview Monday.
“I have a lot of confidence in myself,” she said. “I did think I would have a good chance of making it. I just stayed the course. I try to be as positive I can be, try to be a good teammate and be a coachable player.”
Perez said she wants to bring energy to the team.
“I’m super energetic, whether that’s on the court or off the court,” she said. “I’m super passionate. I have a little toughness side to me, so I bring that aspect and just the love for the game.”
Puerto Rico qualified for the Olympics in February while Perez was finishing her fifth and final season at UD. It will make its second straight appearance at the Olympics after finishing 12th in 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
The Puerto Rico roster includes other former U.S. college players: Mya Hollingshed, a native of Puerto Rico who played at Colorado and was the No. 8 pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft; Arella Guirantes, a native of Long Island, N.Y., who played at Texas Tech and Rutgers and with the Seattle Storm; and Isalys Quinones, a native of Puerto Rico who played at Dartmouth.
Puerto Rico plays in Group A. After playing Serbia, it faces Spain on July 30 and China on Aug. 3. Puerto Rico went 0-3 in its first Olympic appearance in 2021.
For Perez, the process of making the team started when one of the Puerto Rico coaches contacted her agent, asking if she would like to play in an exhibition game against the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces in May. Everyone from that game earned an invitation to try out for the Olympic team in June. Perez was one of 15 players trying out for 13 spots.
Although Perez grew up in New Jersey, where she attended Newark Tech, she has strong connections to Puerto Rico. Both her grandparents on her mom’s side were born in Puerto Rico, as was her grandfather on her dad’s side.
“I had the culture in me growing up,” Perez said. “I listen to Spanish music. My mom speaks to me in Spanish. Even though I wasn’t there physically, I felt like I was there because of my family members.”
Perez won’t be the only former Flyer at the Olympics. Katie Moon (née Nageotte) spent two years at UD (2009-11) before transferring to Ashland University and is the defending gold medal winner in the pole vault.
In regards to representing UD at the Olympics, Perez said, “My message is just, ‘Thank you, Flyer Nation for everything the past five years. You guys are the No. 1 top fans ever.’ I’m just super grateful for Flyer Nation.”
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