Miami Ohio University Athletics
Justin Kirby (left) and Trey Perry (right) have played key roles for 32-1 Miami this year as true freshmen
Photo by: Will Corey
On to Philly: The Journey Continues for Perry, Kirby and RedHawks
3/19/2026 4:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Miami took the court for the first time today in Philadelphia as the RedHawks get ready for Tennessee
PHILADELPHIA— With four minutes left in the first half of Wednesday's NCAA Tournament opener against SMU at Dayton's UD Arena, Trey Perry skied through the lane to pull down a strong offensive rebound with one hand. As 7-foot-2 Samet Yiğitoğlu loomed over him in the lane, the 6-foot-2 freshman immediately kicked a pass out to fellow rookie guard Justin Kirby on the right wing, who was relocating ever so slightly to his right in anticipation.
With no hesitation, Kirby let loose with a shot from downtown.
Nothing. But. Net.
It was one of 16 made three-pointers for the RedHawks —setting a new record for the First Four— and perfectly epitomized not only the confidence and attack mentality of the entire team, but the way those two first-year players in particular have stepped up on the big stage over and over again to help Miami (32-1) to its best season in program history.
Perry, a product of nearby Liberty Township, Ohio, carved out a role from day one, playing 13 minutes on opening night as a true freshman. Kirby's path was a little different: He expected to redshirt and sit out the season until Evan Ipsaro's injury in the MAC opener changed the equation. In fact, the Fishers, Ind. native didn't take the floor for Miami until Dec. 30.
But for both newcomers, the season has been an undisputed success from start-to-not-yet-finish.
"They both have been so good," fellow guard Luke Skaljac said this week. "Trey, in the last five or six games of the year, stepped up huge. And ever since he [Kirby] burned his redshirt, he's been great too.
"Our freshman class —even the guys who haven't played a ton— are super talented and they've got a really bright future."
Perry made headlines nationally with a game-winning shot in the final second of a come-from-behind win at Western Michigan three weeks ago, and has excelled in his backup point guard role (most notably dropping a career-high 21 points in an overtime thriller at Ohio to cap Miami's perfect regular season). Kirby has been a revelation with his bounce and hustle plays, including going off for 17 points in the fifth game of his college career (vs. Central Michigan on Jan. 13), and has been a fixture in the rotation ever since. He finished with eight points Wednesday vs. SMU to help the RedHawks outscore the Mustangs 20-5 in bench points and win the program's first NCAA Tournament game in 27 years.
"Trey has gotten so much better," head coach Travis Steele said today in Philadelphia. "He's learned how to play with other really good players. He's learned how to play the point guard position. He can really score; he's got a gift to score the ball, and we want him to be him….he's starting to understand space and how to be more efficient with the ball. And he's also understanding the defensive side of the ball. It's a two-way game, and he's really gotten better…
"Justin Kirby didn't play in any non-conference games – what idiot was redshirting him?", Steele laughed. "He's so athletic. He's fearless. He rebounds, he defends, he can shoot open threes, he cuts: He does a lot of things where he doesn't need the ball to be effective…you can just plug him in any time, no matter who is on the floor."
"I had no idea going in that I would have this much of an impact, especially after not playing half the season, so it's definitely just a blessing," Kirby said. "I'm very happy and grateful for it."
"It's been special," Perry said after the win over SMU as he reflected on the journey up to this point. "It's been something that we didn't expect when the season first started. But [it's a] next-man-up mentality: When our name was called upon, we were ready.
"Throughout the season in big games, we do our job and we do it to the best of our ability [so we can] be there for our team in any way possible."
It goes without saying that every season has ups and downs, and for true freshmen finding their way through their first college basketball schedule, that's especially true, but Perry and Kirby earned rave reviews from their teammates for the way they've navigated the past four-and-a-half months.
"I think they've done an awesome job of sticking with it, getting better, and taking what happens and learning form it and applying it," Almar Atlason said this week.
"In big games and big moments, they've stepped up, and that's amazing. It's great to see their growth."
"I've seen a lot of growth, especially since the first day of summer – it's been a huge jump," Antwone Woolfolk agreed. "Trey Perry: Just commanding the offense and controlling the sets, using his voice a lot more. And Justin Kirby: Being that energy guy and knocking down threes and playing great defense as well.
"They've been huge contributors to the 31 [regular-season] wins."
So as Miami's NCAA Tournament journey continues in Philadelphia Friday when the No. 11 RedHawks battle sixth-seeded Tennessee (4:25 p.m. on TBS), its rookies plan to soak up every moment of the ride, no matter how long it ultimately lasts.
"It's just a crazy experience," Kirby said. "Making brackets growing up, and now being able to play in this [tournament] is something I never thought I would ever be able to accomplish…
"I'm just so happy I'm here."
TIGHT TURNAROUND: The RedHawks (at least the few that were awake) got their first look at Xfinity Mobile Arena at 4 a.m. Thursday when the team bus drove past the building on its way from the Philadelphia airport to a nearby hotel. After the win over SMU, Miami left directly from UD Arena to fly east and move on to its next tournament site; by the time the team finally arrived in Pennsylvania, tipoff for the game against the Vols was only 36 or so hours away.
The Miami players weren't complaining, though. "Definitely a quick turnaround, but it's a nice experience also," Eian Elmer said. "I don't think anybody is really too upset about it. It's something we dreamed of.
"We wanted to come to Philly, and we're here!"
Brant Byers said he and the rest of the RedHawks are obviously focused on getting as much rest as possible, but they're also obviously still loving every minute of the experience.
"It's definitely very special to make it to the round of 64," said Byers. "The journey that we have had has been very special and we want to keep it going."
YOU LOOK FAMILIAR: When the bracket was announced Sunday night, Miami fans couldn't have been surprised to see the RedHawks on a potential collision course with Tennessee. Although the all-time men's basketball series only includes six meetings (with the last one coming in 1999), the RedHawks and Volunteers have been frequent foes in other sports in Miami Athletics' recent NCAA Tournament appearances. The softball team traveled to Knoxville for NCAA regionals in each of the past two seasons (facing the Vols in the 2025 tournament opener), and the baseball team also made the trek to Tennessee for its NCAA trip last spring, including opening tourney play against UT.
FRONT-ROW FAN: When the RedHawks took the floor for open practice at Xfinity Mobile Arena today, there was a fan decked out in a Wally Szczerbiak Miami jersey at courtside to greet them with enthusiastic high fives. William Dunn, a former athletic department intern who earned his Bachelor's degree in Sport Management in 2020 and added a Master's in Business Analytics two years later, not only lives in Philadelphia now, but works for the NHL's Flyers (who share the building with the NBA's 76ers). That means Dunn's office is literally inside the arena, so he clearly won the award for shortest commute to practice.
Dunn said some of his favorite memories from his time as a Miami student were getting to meet Szczerbiak when he returned to broadcast a game ('I'm on Wally's Instagram feed!'), as well as traveling with the operations team to be on the sideline when Miami Football played at Ohio State in 2019. Now, he's enjoying making more memories watching from a distance as the RedHawk basketball team has put together a historic season, and is looking forward to getting to support the Red and White in person this weekend. "It's been amazing watching them: It's incredible how well they play together. They can all shoot, and the defense and passing is incredible," Dunn said.
SCOUT'S HONOR: The Miami coaching staff has been hard at work prepping for the Tennessee game basically since the final buzzer sounded in Dayton…in fact, even before that.
"You have to turn the page quickly," associate head coach Jonathan Holmes said today. "For 30 or 45 minutes after the SMU game you enjoy it, soak in the moment, and embrace the celebration of a massive win to start the tournament, but then your mind quickly goes to the next game…
"It starts before yesterday; you're preparing for SMU, but yesterday afternoon I had to watch two Tennessee games just to get a head start. That way, after the game, when you get on the plane, at least I've got an idea. When Coach says, 'Hey, what do you guys know about Tennessee?', we can give him at least an initial take on it.
"I don't think any of us slept last night," Holmes chuckled. "We got to the hotel at 4:30, and I was at Starbucks a little after 6, because we're on such a time crunch. We know that by tonight at 8 p.m. all of the prep has to be done…and honestly, by the time we go to practice this afternoon, we've got to have our game plan intact.
"You just look at it and say, 'Hey, I may not sleep for a day or two, but at the end of the day, the adrenaline will push you through.'"
Holmes' process involves watching each of UT's last five games and also looking at the Vols' previous matchups against other mid-major or similarly-styled opponents to get clues for the Miami game plan. He also spends plenty of time digging into the data, box scores, and other available analytics info, as well as occasionally reaching out to coaches at other schools as for ideas or reports from previous meetings.
"We pride ourselves on our preparation, and it's something that's really important to Coach Steele," Holmes said. "Our guys know how important that is –the film study, the scouting reports— so that has to be airtight, because that's the first step toward winning a game."
In the scouting process, Holmes is responsible for the opponent's defense and how to solve it. Assistant coach Ben Botts reports on the other team's personnel and their tendencies, while assistant coach Khristian Smith prepares for their offensive actions and how Miami will guard against each of those looks.
Steele then takes the information from his staff and synthesizes it to design a game plan that will hopefully lead Miami to a victory like it has 32 previous times this season. "Coach is as good as I've ever been around in his ability to watch another team and start to formulate a holistic plan of attack," said Holmes. "There's a reason why he's one of the sharpest coaches in the country: His basketball knowledge, he studies a lot of film, and he's obviously terrific with X's and O's."
CLEANING THE GLASS: Miami will have its work cut out for it against the Volunteers in the rebounding battle, as Tennessee ranks top-three (or would that be 'Rocky Top'-three?) nationally in rebound margin and offensive rebounds per game. Still, the RedHawks are confident after a 35-35 showing on the glass against SMU yesterday.
"Rebounding was big," said Perry, who pulled down four boards vs. the Mustangs. "Everybody had to 'clasp and grasp'…everybody on the court had to rebound so we could get in transition and have more possessions."
"It definitely all starts on the glass," Skaljac said as he previewed Friday's game. "They get like 45% of their misses back, which is insane, but we have to do a good job on the glass and just keep playing how we are."
Miami-Tennessee will tip off at 4:25 p.m. Friday on TBS – bookmark MiamiRedHawks.com for continued behind-the-scenes coverage from Miami's run in the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments. Recent stories include:
Men's Wednesday game story vs. SMU (3/18)
Women's postgame ice cream tradition (3/18)
Men's Tuesday notebook from Dayton (3/17)
With no hesitation, Kirby let loose with a shot from downtown.
Nothing. But. Net.
It was one of 16 made three-pointers for the RedHawks —setting a new record for the First Four— and perfectly epitomized not only the confidence and attack mentality of the entire team, but the way those two first-year players in particular have stepped up on the big stage over and over again to help Miami (32-1) to its best season in program history.
Perry, a product of nearby Liberty Township, Ohio, carved out a role from day one, playing 13 minutes on opening night as a true freshman. Kirby's path was a little different: He expected to redshirt and sit out the season until Evan Ipsaro's injury in the MAC opener changed the equation. In fact, the Fishers, Ind. native didn't take the floor for Miami until Dec. 30.
But for both newcomers, the season has been an undisputed success from start-to-not-yet-finish.
"They both have been so good," fellow guard Luke Skaljac said this week. "Trey, in the last five or six games of the year, stepped up huge. And ever since he [Kirby] burned his redshirt, he's been great too.
"Our freshman class —even the guys who haven't played a ton— are super talented and they've got a really bright future."
Perry made headlines nationally with a game-winning shot in the final second of a come-from-behind win at Western Michigan three weeks ago, and has excelled in his backup point guard role (most notably dropping a career-high 21 points in an overtime thriller at Ohio to cap Miami's perfect regular season). Kirby has been a revelation with his bounce and hustle plays, including going off for 17 points in the fifth game of his college career (vs. Central Michigan on Jan. 13), and has been a fixture in the rotation ever since. He finished with eight points Wednesday vs. SMU to help the RedHawks outscore the Mustangs 20-5 in bench points and win the program's first NCAA Tournament game in 27 years."Trey has gotten so much better," head coach Travis Steele said today in Philadelphia. "He's learned how to play with other really good players. He's learned how to play the point guard position. He can really score; he's got a gift to score the ball, and we want him to be him….he's starting to understand space and how to be more efficient with the ball. And he's also understanding the defensive side of the ball. It's a two-way game, and he's really gotten better…
"Justin Kirby didn't play in any non-conference games – what idiot was redshirting him?", Steele laughed. "He's so athletic. He's fearless. He rebounds, he defends, he can shoot open threes, he cuts: He does a lot of things where he doesn't need the ball to be effective…you can just plug him in any time, no matter who is on the floor."
"I had no idea going in that I would have this much of an impact, especially after not playing half the season, so it's definitely just a blessing," Kirby said. "I'm very happy and grateful for it."
"It's been special," Perry said after the win over SMU as he reflected on the journey up to this point. "It's been something that we didn't expect when the season first started. But [it's a] next-man-up mentality: When our name was called upon, we were ready.
"Throughout the season in big games, we do our job and we do it to the best of our ability [so we can] be there for our team in any way possible."
It goes without saying that every season has ups and downs, and for true freshmen finding their way through their first college basketball schedule, that's especially true, but Perry and Kirby earned rave reviews from their teammates for the way they've navigated the past four-and-a-half months.
"I think they've done an awesome job of sticking with it, getting better, and taking what happens and learning form it and applying it," Almar Atlason said this week.
"In big games and big moments, they've stepped up, and that's amazing. It's great to see their growth."
"I've seen a lot of growth, especially since the first day of summer – it's been a huge jump," Antwone Woolfolk agreed. "Trey Perry: Just commanding the offense and controlling the sets, using his voice a lot more. And Justin Kirby: Being that energy guy and knocking down threes and playing great defense as well."They've been huge contributors to the 31 [regular-season] wins."
So as Miami's NCAA Tournament journey continues in Philadelphia Friday when the No. 11 RedHawks battle sixth-seeded Tennessee (4:25 p.m. on TBS), its rookies plan to soak up every moment of the ride, no matter how long it ultimately lasts.
"It's just a crazy experience," Kirby said. "Making brackets growing up, and now being able to play in this [tournament] is something I never thought I would ever be able to accomplish…
"I'm just so happy I'm here."
TIGHT TURNAROUND: The RedHawks (at least the few that were awake) got their first look at Xfinity Mobile Arena at 4 a.m. Thursday when the team bus drove past the building on its way from the Philadelphia airport to a nearby hotel. After the win over SMU, Miami left directly from UD Arena to fly east and move on to its next tournament site; by the time the team finally arrived in Pennsylvania, tipoff for the game against the Vols was only 36 or so hours away.
The Miami players weren't complaining, though. "Definitely a quick turnaround, but it's a nice experience also," Eian Elmer said. "I don't think anybody is really too upset about it. It's something we dreamed of.
"We wanted to come to Philly, and we're here!"
Brant Byers said he and the rest of the RedHawks are obviously focused on getting as much rest as possible, but they're also obviously still loving every minute of the experience.
"It's definitely very special to make it to the round of 64," said Byers. "The journey that we have had has been very special and we want to keep it going."
YOU LOOK FAMILIAR: When the bracket was announced Sunday night, Miami fans couldn't have been surprised to see the RedHawks on a potential collision course with Tennessee. Although the all-time men's basketball series only includes six meetings (with the last one coming in 1999), the RedHawks and Volunteers have been frequent foes in other sports in Miami Athletics' recent NCAA Tournament appearances. The softball team traveled to Knoxville for NCAA regionals in each of the past two seasons (facing the Vols in the 2025 tournament opener), and the baseball team also made the trek to Tennessee for its NCAA trip last spring, including opening tourney play against UT.
FRONT-ROW FAN: When the RedHawks took the floor for open practice at Xfinity Mobile Arena today, there was a fan decked out in a Wally Szczerbiak Miami jersey at courtside to greet them with enthusiastic high fives. William Dunn, a former athletic department intern who earned his Bachelor's degree in Sport Management in 2020 and added a Master's in Business Analytics two years later, not only lives in Philadelphia now, but works for the NHL's Flyers (who share the building with the NBA's 76ers). That means Dunn's office is literally inside the arena, so he clearly won the award for shortest commute to practice.
Dunn said some of his favorite memories from his time as a Miami student were getting to meet Szczerbiak when he returned to broadcast a game ('I'm on Wally's Instagram feed!'), as well as traveling with the operations team to be on the sideline when Miami Football played at Ohio State in 2019. Now, he's enjoying making more memories watching from a distance as the RedHawk basketball team has put together a historic season, and is looking forward to getting to support the Red and White in person this weekend. "It's been amazing watching them: It's incredible how well they play together. They can all shoot, and the defense and passing is incredible," Dunn said.
SCOUT'S HONOR: The Miami coaching staff has been hard at work prepping for the Tennessee game basically since the final buzzer sounded in Dayton…in fact, even before that.
"You have to turn the page quickly," associate head coach Jonathan Holmes said today. "For 30 or 45 minutes after the SMU game you enjoy it, soak in the moment, and embrace the celebration of a massive win to start the tournament, but then your mind quickly goes to the next game…"It starts before yesterday; you're preparing for SMU, but yesterday afternoon I had to watch two Tennessee games just to get a head start. That way, after the game, when you get on the plane, at least I've got an idea. When Coach says, 'Hey, what do you guys know about Tennessee?', we can give him at least an initial take on it.
"I don't think any of us slept last night," Holmes chuckled. "We got to the hotel at 4:30, and I was at Starbucks a little after 6, because we're on such a time crunch. We know that by tonight at 8 p.m. all of the prep has to be done…and honestly, by the time we go to practice this afternoon, we've got to have our game plan intact.
"You just look at it and say, 'Hey, I may not sleep for a day or two, but at the end of the day, the adrenaline will push you through.'"
Holmes' process involves watching each of UT's last five games and also looking at the Vols' previous matchups against other mid-major or similarly-styled opponents to get clues for the Miami game plan. He also spends plenty of time digging into the data, box scores, and other available analytics info, as well as occasionally reaching out to coaches at other schools as for ideas or reports from previous meetings.
"We pride ourselves on our preparation, and it's something that's really important to Coach Steele," Holmes said. "Our guys know how important that is –the film study, the scouting reports— so that has to be airtight, because that's the first step toward winning a game."
In the scouting process, Holmes is responsible for the opponent's defense and how to solve it. Assistant coach Ben Botts reports on the other team's personnel and their tendencies, while assistant coach Khristian Smith prepares for their offensive actions and how Miami will guard against each of those looks.
Steele then takes the information from his staff and synthesizes it to design a game plan that will hopefully lead Miami to a victory like it has 32 previous times this season. "Coach is as good as I've ever been around in his ability to watch another team and start to formulate a holistic plan of attack," said Holmes. "There's a reason why he's one of the sharpest coaches in the country: His basketball knowledge, he studies a lot of film, and he's obviously terrific with X's and O's."
CLEANING THE GLASS: Miami will have its work cut out for it against the Volunteers in the rebounding battle, as Tennessee ranks top-three (or would that be 'Rocky Top'-three?) nationally in rebound margin and offensive rebounds per game. Still, the RedHawks are confident after a 35-35 showing on the glass against SMU yesterday.
"Rebounding was big," said Perry, who pulled down four boards vs. the Mustangs. "Everybody had to 'clasp and grasp'…everybody on the court had to rebound so we could get in transition and have more possessions."
"It definitely all starts on the glass," Skaljac said as he previewed Friday's game. "They get like 45% of their misses back, which is insane, but we have to do a good job on the glass and just keep playing how we are."
Miami-Tennessee will tip off at 4:25 p.m. Friday on TBS – bookmark MiamiRedHawks.com for continued behind-the-scenes coverage from Miami's run in the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments. Recent stories include:
Men's Wednesday game story vs. SMU (3/18)
Women's postgame ice cream tradition (3/18)
Men's Tuesday notebook from Dayton (3/17)
Players Mentioned
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