HOUSTON –
Texas Southern University Director of Athletics Dr. Charles McClelland has announced that current TSU associate head coach Johnetta Hayes-Perry has been named the next head women’s basketball coach at Texas Southern.
Hayes-Perry arrived to Texas Southern after a two year stint at UNC-Wilmington, where she spent two seasons as an assistant coach on former TSU head women’s basketball coach Cynthia Cooper-Dykes’ staff. At UNCW Hayes-Perry was a part of a staff that led the program to two 20 win seasons and two postseason appearances. This past season Hayes-Perry was instrumental in the Lady Tigers historic success as Texas Southern participated in the WNIT postseason for the first time in school history.
Texas Southern clinched the number one seed at the 2013 SWAC Women’s Basketball Tournament after winning the schools’ first regular season championship in school history. The Lady Tigers won 15 straight games dating from Jan. 4 to Feb. 28. The Lady Tigers also set new school records for consecutive wins (15) and overall wins during the regular season (20) during their 2012-13 campaign. Freshman Te’era Williams was named SWAC Freshman of the Year while fellow teammate Brianna Sidney was named to the All-SWAC Second Team.
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“At the beginning of this process one of our main priorities was to maintain continuity within the program,” said McClelland. “We also wanted to solidify the current recruiting class. The hiring of Coach Hayes-Perry has given us the opportunity to fulfill those major goals of our search.”
Prior to coaching at UNC-Wilmington, Hayes-Perry spent time as an assistant coach at North Texas. In her two seasons in Denton, she played a pivotal role in the development of the Mean Green’s frontcourt as North Texas’ post players set numerous career-bests in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots in her time with the program. She also played a key role in the development of Jasmine Godbout, who became just the second player in program history to earn league Rookie-of-the-Year honors when she was named the Sun Belt’s top newcomer in 2009-10.
Prior to her stint at North Texas, Hayes-Perry served as head coach at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, where she guided the NAIA program to 42 victories in her two seasons. Hayes-Perry led the Wildcats to a 29-7 record in 2007-08 and helped the school earn its first-ever national ranking as Wiley finished the campaign ranked No. 22 in the country. The 2007-08 Red River Athletic Conference Coach-of-the-Year, Hayes-Perry coached seven all-conference players and the RRAC Newcomer-of-the-Year in 2007-08. Hayes-Perry got her initial start in coaching serving as a graduate assistant at Prairie View A&M under Cooper-Dyke.
“We’re extremely excited about the future of the women’s basketball at Texas Southern with Coach Hayes-Perry at the helm of the program,” said McClelland. “She has significant experience coaching at the Division I level and she also brings with her head coaching experience. We feel that Coach Hayes-Perry undoubtedly provides us with the best option towards making Texas Southern a legitimate contender in the current landscape of women’s college basketball.”
During her playing days Hayes-Perry was a prolific defensive player and four-year letterwinner at Rice. She was a 2003 first-team All-WAC selection after leading the Owls in scoring, rebounds, blocked shots and field goal percentage. She ranked 16th in the nation that season in blocked shots per game, averaging 2.46 rejections per contest. Hayes-Perry is second all-time in blocked shots at Rice with 142 and ranks sixth in school history with a career rebounding average of 8.1 rpg per game.
“I would like to thank Texas Southern University President Dr. John Rudley, the TSU Board of Regents, and Director of Athletics Dr. Charles McClelland for giving me the opportunity to continue building a legacy here at Texas Southern,” said Hayes-Perry. “I’m really excited and I feel very fortunate to be a part of the Lady Tiger family. I truly feel that our program is headed in a positive direction and I feel like we’ll be able to compete at a high level in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.”
A native of Houston, Hayes-Perry got her head coaching start in 2004 at her alma mater, Sterling High School. In one season at Sterling, she won 22 games and advanced her team to the playoffs. She graduated from Rice in 2004 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Psychology and has a Master’s Degree in education administration from Prairie View A&M. Hayes-Perry is married to Merceda Perry Jr. and the couple has a daughter Khloe’ Perry (1).
What They Are Saying About Johnetta Hayes-Perry
“With all that goes into being a coach at the Division I level, what most impresses me about Johnetta Hayes-Perry is her ability to place the integrity of the program, the welfare of the student-athletes, and the foresight of the university above all. Coach Hayes-Perry demonstrates on a daily basis that winning is a state of mind.”
-Cynthia Cooper-Dyke head coach at the University of Southern California (USC)
“Johnetta has been committed to coaching, is knowledgeable and has been eager to learn. She has put herself in various positions and always succeeded in those positions. She has been inquisitive about coaching and looks to expand her knowledge in all areas of this profession. I know that Johnetta is ready to lead the Texas Southern University women’s basketball program both on the court and off. Her ties to Texas make her a natural for recruiting in the state. Johnetta will continue to grow the program on the court, be a great role model for the young ladies that come through the program and a great representative for Texas Southern in the community.”
-Cristy McKinney former head coach at Rice University and Clemson University, currently assistant coach at Elon University