Veteran college coach Perry Clark became just the second men’s coach to roam the sidelines for the Islander program last season and returns for his second season in 2008-09. Clark replaced Ronnie Arrow who started the program from scratch.

Clark has over 29 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 259-219 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 three years prior to coming to the Coastal Bend as a television and radio personality for Fox Sports Network, as well as an analyst for ESPN.

In his first season with the Islanders, Clark helped coach Chris Daniels to a third-team All-Southland Conference selection as he became the all-time leading scorer. Justin Reynolds had one of the top seasons by a freshman under Clark’s guidance.

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.

Clark was hired by Tulane on July 16, 1988 and immediately set forth on rebuilding a program that had been dismantled following NCAA sanctions. But Clark did more than just rebuild the Tulane program, he brought it into the national spotlight.

In 11 seasons at Tulane, Clark compiled a 185-145 (.561) record, had six 20-win seasons, seven postseason appearances (3 NCAA, 4 NIT) and won the Metro Conference championship in 1992. He was the 1992 National Coach of the Year and a two-time Metro Conference Coach of the Year (1991, 1992). Clark was inducted into the Tulane Hall of Fame this fall after being inducted into the Louisiana Hall of Fame during the 2008 season.

After going 4-24 in the 1989-90 season, Tulane was 15-13 the next year and Clark was named the Metro Conference coach of the year. In 1991-92, Tulane would remain ranked for 11 consecutive weeks en route to a 22-9 season, its first Metro title, a trip to the NCAA Tournament and a first-round win over St. John’s.

Clark and staff followed up the next season signing one of the nation’s top recruiting classes. In 1993-94, despite half the team’s scoring and rebounding production coming from freshmen, Clark and the Green Wave were in postseason play again, reaching the second round of the NIT.

In 1995, Tulane was back in the NCAA Tournament, winning another first-round game and posting the second-most victories in school history (23). The next season, the Wave made its deepest run ever in postseason, reaching the NIT Final Four and finishing 22-10. The postseason and 20-win streaks continued in 1996-97.

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.

Success has also followed Clark’s players, particularly in the early stages of their careers. In his stints at Georgia Tech and Tulane, Clark went a phenomenal eight for nine, from 1983 to 1992, in helping produce the conference’s top rookie, including a Metro record three in a row at Tulane.

At Tech, it was Mark Price (1983), Bruce Dalrymple (1984), Duane Ferrell (1985), Tom Hammonds (1986) and Dennis Scott (1988). At Tulane, Anthony Reed (1990), Kim Lewis (1991) and Pointer Williams (1992) claimed consecutive Metro Conference Freshman of the Year honors.

Clark also has coached 17 players who were drafted or have gone play in the NBA. Twelve of those draftees have gone in the first of second rounds including 2002 selection John Salmons who taken with the 26th pick of the first round by the San Antonio Spurs, and James Jones who a second round selection by the Indiana Pacers in the 2003 NBA Draft.

Other NBA draftees include Anthony Reed and Jerald Honeycutt at Tulane, Frank Brickowski from Penn State, and Dalrymple, Ferrell, Hammonds, Yvon Joseph, Craig Neal, Brian Oliver, Price, John Salley, and Scott from Tech.

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.