Sports@DominionPost.com
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University women’s basketball coach Mike Carey announced the addition of Nitra Perry as an assistant coach on Saturday.
“I am so excited to have the opportunity to join the West Virginia women’s basketball program,” Perry said. “I have watched the program from afar and have always admired the job that Coach Carey and his staff do year after year. I am so grateful that I get to work with great people and to coach such a talented group of young women. The future of this program is extremely bright, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Prior to her arrival in Morgantown, she served as the associate head coach at Toledo from 2018-20, where she worked with all aspects of the program, including perimeter-player development, recruiting, academic support and opponent scouting.
“I am very excited to have Nitra join us,” Carey said. “She’s had the opportunity to wear a lot of hats, including a head coaching job. She has a lot of experience in basketball, played at a Power 5 school, played overseas and had tryouts with the WNBA. So, she brings that experience but also bring a lot of coaching experience, which I am very excited about. We think she’s going to be a great addition, a great mentor to our players and we’re very excited to have her in our program.”
The 2019-20 season marked Perry’s sixth season overall with the Rockets. She served as associate head coach with UT from 2008-12.
During her time at Toledo, Perry helped the Rockets amass a 131-69 overall record and a 68-32 mark in the Mid-American Conference. Toledo posted four 20-win campaigns during her six seasons with the team, winning three MAC West Division titles and earning four Postseason WNIT berths.
In 2010-11, Perry helped the Rockets win a school-record 29 games and capture the 2011 WNIT Championship, becoming the first MAC men’s or women’s basketball program to claim a postseason tournnament title. That same year, Perry also was instrumental in signing the MAC’s top-rated recruiting class.
Perry returned to Toledo for her second stint after serving as the associate head coach at Memphis in 2017-18.
Prior to working with the Tigers, she spent four seasons as head coach at Kennesaw State (2012-16).
In 2014-15, Perry guided the Owls to their most-successful season (17-13 record) since they moved to the NCAA Division I level in 2005-06, and became a full Division I member in 2009-10.
KSU tied for fourth place in the 2014-15 Atlantic Sun Conference regular-season standings, marking the program’s best league finish at the time. That same year, Perry coached her first postseason award recipient, with Jasmine McAllister earning A-Sun Newcomer of the Year honors.
Prior to her first stint with Toledo, Perry spent two seasons at her alma mater Mississippi State as an assistant coach, where she was responsible for player development, practice preparation, assisting with recruitment and overseeing academics. While with the Bulldogs, she helped mentor All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman performers Alexis Rack and Mary Kathryn Govero.
Perry returned to her alma mater after serving as an administrative assistant to the recruiting coordinator with Georgia Tech for three seasons (2004-06), where she assisted with the summer camps.
A native of Bolivar, Tennessee, Perry was a four-year letterwinner for Mississippi State (1996-2000) and was a two-time All-SEC honorable mention pick in 1999 and 2000. She also earned SEC All-Tournament Team and SEC Academic Honor Roll accolades in 2000. She still ranks in the top 20 on the Bulldogs career charts in scoring (19th; 1,124) and rebounding (8th; 746). She also helped lead MSU to three-straight postseason appearances, including two NCAA Tournaments. The 1999-2000 squad won 24 games and advanced to the SEC Tournament Championship Game.
Before her coaching career began, Perry played professional basketball overseas (2001 in Portugal; 2002 in Italy) and in the United States (2003-04 with NWBL’s Birmingham Power). She earned her bachelor’s in education from Mississippi State in 2000. The daughter of Kirk and Constance Perry, she has one brother, Kirk Jr., and one sister, Afton.
