Ole Miss was a finalist for Travis Perry following his heralded high school career.

In today’s college basketball, finishing second can often pay off down the road.

That happened for Ole Miss on Sunday when the Rebels added the former Kentucky guard from the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Perry played in 31 games for Kentucky last season, scoring 2.7 points in 9.8 minutes per game. He also averaged 0.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Perry, a 6-foot-1, 188-pounder from Eddyville, Ky., shot 31.3 percent from the floor, 32.1 percent from the 3-point line and 80 percent from the free throw line.

Perry had a legendary high school career, one that culminated with his being named Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball after averaging 32.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 4.7 steals per game as a senior. Perry finished his high school career with a state-record 5,381 career points.

Perry chose Ole Miss over Vanderbilt, Maryland and others.

Ole Miss and Kentucky played their first- and second-round NCAA Tournament games in Milwaukee. Darrell Bird, who covers Kentucky for 247Sports, asked Ole Miss coach Chris Beard about Perry during a media opportunity in Milwaukee.

"I love Travis," Beard said. "He's one of those guys that's addicted to basketball; loves it. Basketball guy.

"I enjoyed recruiting him, getting a relationship with his family. In recruiting, you don't get so many more guys than you do get. But I was really happy for him that he found a great fit and played a great role as a freshman for Coach (Mark) Pope’s team.

"He's a guy I always cheer for and have nothing but respect for. That dude's a baller, man. He loves basketball."

Perry joins a transfer portal class that includes forward Augusto Cassia (Butler), forward AJ Storr (Kansas), forward Corey Chest (LSU) and guard Koren Johnson (Louisville).

Ole Miss also recently added French guard Ilias Kamardine.