Anwar Perry didn’t come to this decision quickly. The Allen Community College head men’s basketball coach resigned his position earlier this month.
“I’ve been thinking about it since December. I’ve been here five years and the past two years as head coach. I just thought it was time for me to move on,” Perry told the Register Wednesday morning in a telephone interview.
Perry spent three years as an assistant coach to former Allen head coach Mike Hayes. Perry stepped up into the heading coach spot in August 2010 when Hayes resigned.
“Anwar submitted his resignation and it was accepted by the Board of Trustees in an adjourned meeting March 13. The resignation was effective March 15,” said Randy Weber, ACC athletic director.
“We began searching for a new men’s basketball head coach at that time.”
Perry guided the Red Devils to a 19-43 record in the past two seasons. Allen went 10-26 in Jayhawk Eastern Division games in that span.
Allen just finished an 11-20 season, going 6-12 in conference play.
“I’m pursuing opportunities that will get me back into a more metropolitan and diverse area,” Perry said. “I have always wanted to move up in the college coaching ranks. Maybe an NCAA Division II school.”
Perry, who is from Lewisville, Texas, went to Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, Ky. As a player, Perry played in four consecutive NCAA Division II championship games.
Perry and one other teammate have their uniforms hanging in the NCAA Hall of Fame because of that four-year run. Perry and his KWC teammate won NCAA Division II national championships in 1999 and 2001, which was his senior season.
He earned an undergraduate degree in sports management at Kentucky Wesleyan. Perry has a masters degree in health and physical education and is working on a second masters degree in business. Both degrees are from Emporia State University.
“I had a lot of good years at Allen. John Masterson and Coach Hayes helped me a great deal,” Perry said. “In the past two years, 12 of my 13 basketball players graduated and I’m proud of that fact because education comes first.”
