LI Men’s Basketball Coach Perri named Joe B. Hall finalist
LIU Brooklyn head men’s basketball coach Jack Perri has been named one of the 10 finalists for the Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year Award, it was announced by CollegeInsider.com on Thursday. The award is presented annually to the top first-year coach in NCAA Division I college basketball.
After spending seven seasons as the right-hand man to previous head coach Jim Ferry, Perri was elevated to head coach in the spring of 2012 and has guided the Blackbirds to 18 wins in 2012-13, despite losing 2012 Northeast Conference Player of the Year Julian Boyd to a season-ending injury just eight games into the year. LIU Brooklyn recently advanced to the NEC Tournament semifinals with a 91-83 win over Quinnipiac.
Perri restructured the high-powered LIU offense following the midseason loss of Boyd, and has the unit ranked among the national leaders in scoring (eighth at 78.6 ppg). The Manalapan, N.J. native mentored this season’s NEC Player of the Year Jamal Olasewere to career highs in scoring and rebounding, as well as junior point guard Jason Brickman to a LIU single-season record in assists. Brickman currently leads all NCAA Divsion I players in assists per game (8.5).