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Logan • When sharpshooter Darius Perkins was being recruited out of Miami Dade College, one of his most persistent suitors was Ole Miss.

The Rebel coaches told Perkins they wanted him as a replacement for Marshall Henderson, their flamboyant and often controversial former star who constantly made national headlines for his on-court antics and off-court behavior.

"That's exactly what they wanted — how they wanted me to play," Perkins said. "But I don't resemble him at all."

Perhaps because he plays with a more disciplined style and demeanor than Henderson, Utah State also pursued Perkins.

Assistant Tim Duryea initially saw him at a showcase for leading junior college players and head coach Stew Morrill was quickly convinced he could help the Aggies, who were looking to rebuild their roster.

"They were the first team to jump on me," Perkins said. "They showed a lot of interest and it was consistent. They flew down to see me a lot. And I liked Utah State right away — the situation."

Even if Cache Valley is a sharp contrast to south Florida?

"I love Logan," Perkins said. "It's different for me, but I came here to focus on school and basketball. I'm not too much of a party guy. So this is just fine."

Perkins is a 6-foot-1 guard who can play both positions in the backcourt.

He averaged 18.8 points, three rebounds and three assists last season at Miami Dade.

Perkins joins wings Chris Smith and Trace Cureton as junior college transfers needed to contribute for the Aggies, who head into their second season in the Mountain West Conference with only four returning players.

"You can't tell until we play against D-1 competition — Mountain West competition — but I'm encouraged," Morrill said. "You don't ever recruit J.C. guys to sit next to you on the bench. You recruit them to help."

The challenge for the three transfers is similar to the one faced by the Aggies, who went 18-14 overall and 7-11 in their initial run through the Mountain West.

Perkins, Smith and Cureton must step up and produce against better competition, after dominating in high school and junior college.

"They haven't had to play at a high level every single day," Morrill said. "When you are better than everyone else, you can kind of coast. But now they can't coast. ...

"They're good recruits. They're good prospects and I emphasize prospects. ... [They] haven't proven you can play at this level yet. But we are optimistic they can."

Like Perkins, Smith will be asked to play two positions at Utah State. He's a shooting guard/small forward. So the indoctrination process for both is complicated.

"Not only are we asking them to learn a new system, we're asking them to play multiple spots," Morrill said. "That makes it more difficult for them. But those kids are skilled basketball players. They are confident and they can shoot it."

Said Perkins: "It's a transition, that's for sure. But it hasn't been too hard. You just have to play hard and get used to the tempo. ... It's about what I expected."

In its second week of preseason practice, Utah State opens Nov. 14 against Weber State at the Spectrum after exhibitions against Texas A&M-International (Oct. 31) and Arkansas-Fort Smith (Nov. 7). —

Darius Perkins file

Position • Guard

Vitals • 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, junior

Hometown • Fort Myers, Fla.

Career • Attended Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Hollywood, Fla. ... Averaged 21.6 points, six rebounds and 2.8 assists in his high-school career. ... Named to the Class 3-A All-State team as a senior, when he made 58 percent of his three-point shots. ... Averaged 18.8 points, three rebounds and three assists at Miami Dade College last season. ... Recruited by Ole Miss, Louisiana Tech and Ball State, among others.