Wofford names new head men’s basketball coach

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Wofford College announced it has named a new head men’s basketball coach.

Dwight Perry has spent the last four seasons at Wofford, two as an assistant coach and two as an associate head coach. In December 2022, he was named interim head coach.

The team has posted winning records during his four seasons with Wofford and has seen six players earn All-Southern Conference honors, along with coaching five players who earned All-Freshman team accolades.

“We are pleased to have Dwight Perry as the head coach of the men’s basketball team,” said Dr. Nayef Samhat, Wofford’s president. “He understands and feels strongly about upholding the values and integrity of the athletics program here at Wofford. Over the course of this past season, he has risen to the challenge of leading a young and committed team with great dignity and enthusiasm.”

Perry is a Durham, North Carolina native and served as a graduate assistant under former Virginia Commonwealth head coach Shaka Smart for two seasons before being named as the Rams’ video coordinator for the 2013-14 campaign. During his three-year stint in Richmond, Va, the Rams posted an 82-26 record and made three consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, including appearances in the round of 32 in both of Perry’s seasons as a graduate assistant.

“I am thankful for Dr. Samhat and Richard Johnson for their belief in me,” said Perry. “Wofford is a special place. I am looking forward to building off the many great coaches and players that are part of the tradition here who build that foundation of Wofford basketball. We are going to move the program in a positive direction both on and off the court with these student-athletes. I am ready to get to work.”

During the 2021-2022 season, he helped guide Wofford to a 19-13 overall record with a 10-8 league mark in his first season as associate head coach. Highlights during the season include a road triumph over Georgia and a home win over Samford. B.J. Mack and Max Klesmit garnered Second and Third-Team All-Southern Conference honors.

He is also a 2010 graduate of the University of Kentucky, Perry played three seasons for the Wildcats and earned a degree in business management. He was named the SEC Academic Honor Roll and served as an intern with Stanford’s men’s basketball program for two years before joining VCU, where he earned a master’s degree in sport leadership in May 2013.