For just the
second time in school history, the Texas A&M University-Corpus
Christi men's basketball team will have a new head coach. Director of athletics Brian
Teter announced today that Perry Clark will take over as the head
coach of the Islanders.
Clark has over 28
years of collegiate coaching experience, including 15 as head coach
at both
Tulane University and the University of Miami (Fla.). As a head coach, Clark has a 250-199
record including seven 20-win seasons and nine postseason
appearances. Not only has
Clark served as head coach as well as assistant and associate head
coach positions, he has spent the last three years as a television
and radio personality for Fox Sports Network, as well as an analyst
for ESPN.
"Perry Clark is a
proven winner, on and off the basketball floor and we are fortunate
at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to have a man of his knowledge,
experience and integrity leading our basketball program," said
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Director of Athletics Brian
Teter.
The Hyattsville,
Md. native has been part of building some of the nation's top
programs including his remarkable rebuilding job at Tulane, as well
as Miami. While at Tulane,
he took over a program that went 4-24 in the 1989-90 season and
produced one of the most remarkable turnarounds in college
basketball history with a 15-13 record in his first year as head
coach. For his efforts, he
was named the Metro Conference Coach of the Year. In 1991-92, Tulane would remain ranked
for 11 consecutive weeks that concluded with a 22-9 season, its
first Metro title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament that included a
first-round win over Big East Conference champion St. John's.
In 11 seasons at
Tulane, Clark compiled a 185-145 record, had six 20-win seasons,
seven postseason appearances (3 NCAA, 4 NIT) and won the Metro
Conference championship once. He was a two-time Metro Conference
Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1992.
He took over the
program at the Miami in 2000 and spent four seasons with the
Hurricanes where he led them to a 65-54 record. In his first three seasons with the
program, he accumulated 51 wins, the most by a Hurricane coach and
became the only Miami coach to take the Hurricanes to the
postseason in each of his first two seasons.
Clark's 2001-02
Hurricane squad finished 24-8 and received the school's fourth NCAA
Tournament berth and set a school record for wins in a season. Included in the 24 wins were a
school-record 14 consecutive victories to open the season. His Hurricanes were not ranked
in the preseason, but were ranked for the final 13 weeks of the
season. Miami ended the
year ranked No. 21 by the Associated Press.
"Perry has won 250
games as a head coach at the Division level and has won big at both
Tulane and Miami (Florida).
He is a tremendous ambassador in the community with people, and he
always has the betterment of student-athletes first and foremost in
his mind as indicated by his outstanding academic record at his
prior stops," Teter said.
Before he became a
head coach, Clark was the associate head coach at Georgia Tech from
1986-88 and an assistant for the Yellow Jackets from 1982-86 under
Bobby Cremins. He also
served as assistant coach at Penn State from 1978-1982 and started
his coaching career at legendary DeMatha Catholic High School in
Maryland as an assistant coach under legendary prep coach Morgan
Wootten.
"It's exciting to
be able to attract someone with the high level of qualifications
that Perry brings to the University," said Texas A&M-Corpus
Christi President Dr. Flavius Killebrew. "His experience will be
invaluable as we build on our highly-successful first year in the
Southland Conference."
