Though just a sophomore, 6-foot-5 De'Undrae 'Dre' Perteete Jr. could already write a book on basketball recruiting. First, he graduated from Salesian Prep and decided on D2 Westmont College in Montecito, near Santa Barbara as his collegiate destination. After a very successful freshman season, one in which he was named PacWest Conference Freshman of the Year, Perteete learned his coach, Landon Boucher, was stepping away from the college coaching ranks. So just a year out of high school, he faced a conundrum. Should he wait to see who the new Westmont coach is versus move on in pursuit of a new home?
Impressed by Perteete's freshman accomplishments, Cal State San Bernardino Head Coach Gus Argenal wanted the sophomore-to-be to move further south and join up. But then the head coaching position opened at D1 UC Riverside and Argenal applied for and landed that position. A Nor Cal-er by birth and a native of Lafayette plus a graduate of De La Salle High and UC Davis, Argenal's strong interest in Perteete continued and he extended a new Riverside offer. Perteete said yes in mid-to-late May and is now a Highlander.
So why Argenal and UC Riverside? "I couldn't pass it up, Perteete explained. "I'll be playing in the Big West Conference so the competition will be much better and I'm striving to get better." He recalled being positioned while at Salesian for major minutes against fours and fives because of team size deficiencies so backcourt minutes are still relatively new to him. Perteete is also on the young side having arrived at Westmont while still 17 (for a few weeks).
Being in the Big West Conference now will also provide him with the opportunity to face off with a former Salesian-ite as well as hoops friends and acquaintances. 6-foot-3 sophomore point guard Aaron Hunkin-Claytor is a former Salesian teammate and currently a starter at Hawai'i. Jalen Stokes is a 6-foot-5 freshman shooting guard now at UC Davis but formerly of Dougherty Valley High and Dublin High. Now at UC Irvine, 6-foot-10 forward Nes Emeneke possesses Archbishop Riordan roots while fellow Anteater frosh Luke Isaak is a 6-foot-5 San Ramon Valley High alum.
And why basketball for Perteete and not another sport? "I played basketball, baseball and football growing up, stopping football after my sophomore year and also dropping baseball before I picked it up again as a senior." However, his father was the head basketball coach at Skyline High in Oakland from 2019-2023 and also assisted one season at College of Marin in 2015-16.
Perteete sees his parents as his biggest influences and cherishes that distinction. "My Dad is a big sports guy and my Mom always stressed doing what my heart desires and makes me happy."
As for offering thanks, besides to his parents, Peteete noted "Coach Landon Boucher at Westmont as he let me make mistakes because he believed in me like Coach Argenal does." Perteete averaged an amazing 35 minutes an outing as a freshman.
One best college basketball moment for Perteete truly stands out: I scored 34 points (eight treys) in a game against against Azuza Pacific. It was really special because my teammates were jumping up and down and hugging me, and tossed water on me when we go into the locker room." Perteete shot 10-15 overall, 8-10 from long distance and 6-6 at the foul line in that contest.
He noted that his leadership style has evolved the further along in his hoops tenure. "I'm a naturally reserved person and in college so far, I'm much more leading by example. But I was much more vocal at Salesian because we had a roster full of younger guys. I had to."
Perteete is a business major at UC Riverside but he is undecided at the moment whether his focus will be on entrepreneurship, accounting or management.