Women’s Basketball Standout Zachara Perkins Made Early Courtside Debut

Zachara Perkins was playing basketball before she was born.

Her mother, DeMya Walker-Wheatfall, didn’t know it at the time, but while she played during the WNBA championship – running up and down the court, banging into opponents, twisting, turning and jumping – she was also pregnant with Zachara.

“I have a vivid memory,” joked Perkins, now a freshman on Rutgers women’s basketball team, noting that her early years were spent courtside with her mother’s teammates taking turns walking her in a stroller, changing diapers, and babysitting.   

It was an atmosphere where she would thrive.  

As a senior at Summer Creek High School in Houston, Perkins was All-State as selected by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches and named to the All-Academic Team. Recruiters started taking notice during her first year of high school, and ultimately, her choices came down to the University of Houston, Tulsa, Syracuse and Rutgers.

Perkins said she is happy with her final decision.

“This team honestly fits me. Inside and out this team has so much chemistry. That we love each other, how we connect with each other, is special,” the 6-foot-3 guard/forward said recently from the third floor of the RWJ Barnabas Health Athletic Performance Center.

“I think it really translates on the court, just celebrating each other, always supporting each other, and that’s something I really cherish. I do love this team a lot. I think we’re going to be very successful this year.”

Her athletic skills are no surprise, given both parents played the sport professionally. Her dad, Ben, played internationally. Her mom, a Mount Holly native, played at Rancocas High School and the University of Virginia, where she made Honorable Mention All-America, and competed 14 years in the WNBA, including a championship playing for the Sacramento Monarchs. Prior to starting elementary school, Zachara did a bit of traveling with her mom. The WNBA off-season took them to Poland, Italy, Russia, China, Turkey and Australia.  

Perkins’ younger brother Bryson, a 6-foot-5 high school senior who will play ball at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, often was her driveway competition for one-on-one games. She admits that if they played five games now, she would win one, maybe two. “But I can still beat him,’’ she said with a smile.

Despite her connections with basketball, Perkins said neither parent pushed her into the sport. In fact, her first passion was swimming, excelling in the 100-meter breaststroke and freestyle, and even competing in the Junior Olympics as a fifth grader.

“They always gave me the option,” she said. “They wanted me to pursue whatever I wanted in college.”

Ultimately, she chose to excel on land. And chose Rutgers over several other Division programs, where she is now an integral member of the team.

“My mom was the foundation of everything I know,” she said. “She taught me all the little things; all the footwork, all the fundamentals.”

“My mom is very head-strong and confident. She’s like, ‘Here’s what we’re gonna’ do and this is how we’re gonna’ do it.' She’s a leader, and leadership is one of the main things I brought with me when I came to Rutgers.”

Her dad played at Providence College before completing his college career at McNeese in Louisiana and playing on international leagues.

“My dad is more on the emotional side, but he’s also confident,” she said. “His confidence is something I’m still learning and growing with, but I do think I am gaining what he had and what they both have and turning me into my own person.”

When playing with the Scarlet Knights, Perkins likens herself to a coach on the floor – making sure everybody is where they need to be.

“My coaches really help me understand everything I bring to the floor is needed,” she said. "It’s a matter of me trying to find my groove as each game goes on. I think I do a lot of things. I’m one of the biggest communicators on the floor and I think that obviously doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.”

Her confidence is growing as she adjusts to the pace of the college game, said Rutgers head coach Coquese Washington.

“She is a very talented player who brings a variety of things to the team. She can bring the ball up the court, rebound and shoot it from the outside,” said Washington. “When I saw her in high school, I could see she was a serious competitor with a strong work ethic. She is also a kind, considerate young woman, very bubbly, energetic and well-liked by her teammates.”    

As a student, Perkins said she is excited about taking courses that bring her closer to another one of her passions – animals.

“I love taking care of animals, probably since I was 5,” she said. “But there was an unfortunate situation. My mom hates animals. She absolutely hates them.”

Perkins found ways around that, however. Her grandma had eight dogs.

“I think three were outside in the backyard, two outside in the front yard and then the inside dogs,” she said. “And then I had a horse, named Emily, on my grandpa’s ranch. I’m able to ride her, but I’m still learning things.”

She is enrolled in an animal handling class this year and may try a marine animal science course.

One day, Perkins said she could see herself pursuing a career as a veterinarian.

Perhaps after a long WNBA career.