June 2, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Nittany Lion basketball coach Ed DeChellis today announced the promotion of Video Coordinator Jon Perry to the role of Director of Basketball Operations filling the vacancy to be left by current director Eldon Price, who will retire on June 30 ending a 40-year career in collegiate coaching after his fourth season at Penn State.
"Coach Price has been an extremely valuable mentor, colleague and friend and will leave some very big shoes to fill," DeChellis said. "The staff and players will miss him tremendously, but we're very happy he and (wife) Kitty will be able to enjoy retirement together, and I'm sure he'll never be to far away from the program."
Price's relationship with DeChellis dates back more than 20 years when he coached the current Nittany Lion head man at Penn State's Beaver campus in the 1980's. A 1961 graduate of Penn State who received his master's degree from the University in 1967, Price spent the last four seasons overseeing the Nittany Lions' scheduling, team travel, player development, camps, day-to-day operations, team managers and special projects. The position culminated a coaching career that spanned nearly five decades.
"I've had a great career in coaching and have been very fortunate to be a part of the lives of so many outstanding student-athletes," Price said. "I've particularly enjoyed the opportunity to finish my career at Penn State and help Coach DeChellis build a strong program with some fine coaches and players. Kitty and I have really enjoyed our time here, but we thought we better start enjoying retirement while we are still able to go out and do the things we love to do."
Prior to his return to Penn State, Price spent 15 seasons as the head women's basketball coach at Rider University (1989-2004) where he guided the program to a record 162 victories and earned numerous selections as the Northeast Conference Coach-of-the-Year. He served as an assistant coach on Rider's men's basketball staff from 1986-89 and was the head coach of the golf team. Price coached the men's and women's basketball teams as well as began the department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance at Penn State's Beaver campus from 1967-86.
Price began his coaching career in the high school ranks, first leading Horicon High School's (N.J.) boy's and girl's basketball teams as well as baseball and softball squads from 1961-63. He then led the boy's basketball team as well as track and soccer at Northern Potter High School (Pa.) from 1963-67.
Perry, the Nittany Lions' video coordinator the last fours years, will begin taking on some of Price's duties immediately and move full-time into the position beginning July 1. Prior to coming to Penn State, Perry spent five seasons as a player and two as a graduate assistant coach at East Tennessee State University.
"We are very lucky to have someone with Jon's skills and experience with the program to move into the Director of Operations position so quickly," DeChellis said. "Jon has been a very valuable asset to me personally and to the program for many years and will make a seamless transition into the director's position."
Jon Perry will move to the Men's Basketball Director of Operations position on a full-time basis on July 1 |
Perry followed DeChellis to Penn State in 2004 after two seasons as a graduate assistant at ETSU, one under DeChellis and one under coach Murry Bartow. During his seven years at ETSU, five as a player under DeChellis, Perry helped the Buccaneers to three straight Southern Conference North Division titles and an 87-57 record. In 2002-03, Perry's first year as a graduate assistant, the Buccaneers went 20-11 overall and won the school's first conference tournament title since 1992. That tournament win led to ETSU's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in a decade. The Buccaneers were a No. 15 seed and nearly upset No. 2 Wake Forest in the first round. In Perry's second season, the Buccaneers finished with a program-best 15-1 Southern Conference regular season record, setting a new school record with a 16-game winning streak and coming within one win of matching the best overall record in school history with a 27-6 mark. ETSU finished first in the Southern Conference North Division for the fourth year in row and won its second overall regular season title in four years. The Buccaneers also won the Southern Conference Tournament title for the second straight year and entered the NCAA tournament for the seventh time in school history as a No. 13 seed.
While at ETSU, Perry also acted as the Intramural Director and Fitness Center Supervisor for ETSU's Campus Recreation Department. He coordinated 15 intramural sports programs, managed and trained a student support staff, generated money through fundraising activities, and managed daily operations of the student fitness center.
A native of Milton, W.Va., Perry was an ETSU and Southern Conference honor roll student, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in sports management in 2002 and his Master of Arts degree in sports management in 2004. Perry is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).