Perry Clark facts for kids
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 4, 1951 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1971–1974 | Gettysburg |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1975–1978 | DeMatha Catholic HS (MD) (assistant) |
| 1978–1982 | Penn State (assistant) |
| 1982–1988 | Georgia Tech (assistant) |
| 1989–2000 | Tulane |
| 2000–2004 | Miami (FL) |
| 2007–2011 | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi |
| 2013–2020 | South Carolina (assistant) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 304–270 (.530) |
| Tournaments | 3–4 (NCAA Division I) 5–5 (NIT) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Metro regular season (1992) | |
| Awards | |
| Henry Iba Award (1992) UPI Coach of the Year (1992) 2x Metro Coach of the Year (1991, 1992) |
|
Perry Clark, born on December 4, 1951, is a well-known American former college basketball coach. He was the head coach for teams at Tulane University, the University of Miami, and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. From 2013 until his retirement in June 2020, Clark also served as an assistant coach for the University of South Carolina basketball team.
Clark has more than 30 years of experience coaching college basketball. As a head coach, he led his teams to 304 wins and 270 losses. He had seven seasons where his teams won 20 or more games. His teams also made it to the postseason nine times. In 1992, he won the Metro Conference championship. He was named the National Coach of the Year in 1992 and was also the Metro Conference Coach of the Year in both 1991 and 1992.
Contents
Perry Clark's Coaching Journey
Starting as an Assistant Coach
Perry Clark began his coaching career as an assistant coach at DeMatha Catholic High School. In 1978, he became an assistant coach at Penn State. Later, in 1982, he joined Georgia Tech as their recruiting coordinator.
During his time at Georgia Tech, Clark helped recruit many talented players. Five of these players were recognized as the top freshmen in their conference. These included Mark Price (1983), Bruce Dalrymple (1984), Duane Ferrell (1985), Tom Hammonds (1986), and Dennis Scott (1988).
Success at Tulane
When Clark became the head coach at Tulane, he continued to find great young talent. Three players from Tulane — Anthony Reed (1990), Kim Lewis (1991), and Pointer Williams (1992) — won the Metro Conference Freshman of the Year award three years in a row. This was a record for the conference!
Overall, Clark coached 19 players who later played in the NBA. Thirteen of these players were chosen in the first or second rounds of the NBA draft. Some notable players include John Salmons, who was picked in the first round in 2002, and James Jones, who was a second-round pick in 2003.
Head Coach at Miami
In 2000, Perry Clark took over the basketball program at the University of Miami. He coached the Hurricanes for four seasons, leading them to a record of 65 wins and 54 losses. In his first three seasons, his teams won 51 games, which was the most wins for any Miami coach at that time. He was also the only Miami coach to take the team to the postseason in his first two years.
The 2001–02 Miami team, coached by Clark, had an amazing season. They finished with 24 wins and 8 losses, setting a school record for wins in a single season. They also won their first 14 games in a row, which was another school record. The team was not expected to do well at the start of the season, but they ended up being ranked No. 21 in the country by the Associated Press.
Coaching at Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
After his time at Miami, Clark coached the Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Islanders for four seasons. During this period, his team had an overall record of 54 wins and 71 losses. In the 2008–09 season, his team significantly improved their win total from the previous year. A player named Kevin Palmer earned the Southland Newcomer of the Year award, scoring 18.2 points per game for a team that had very little experience in NCAA Division I basketball.
