Kyle Perry is in his fourth year as an assistant men’s basketball coach at USC Upstate in 2012-13. He assists in all phases of the program and serves as the recruiting coordinator.

Perry has been instrumental in the recent success of the USC Upstate men’s basketball program, bringing in two of the strongest recruiting classes in the nation that led to the best turn-around program at the NCAA Division I level in 2011-12.

In 2010-11, Perry put together a dynamic class as A-Sun Freshman of the Year Torrey Craig and shot blocker Babatunde Olumuyiwa made an immediate mark on the program. Craig averaged 14.4 point per game and 7.2 rebounds per game as a freshman, while Olumuyiwa swatted 71 shots as a rookie, including nine rejections at South Carolina. Olumuyiwa’s nine blocks set a new Upstate single-game mark, while tying an A-Sun record. Both Craig and Olumuyiwa were rated as major/mid-major prospects by ESPN Scouts, Inc.

Not to be outdone in 2011-12, Perry recruited Ty Greene from Bearden High School in Knoxville, Tenn., who made it back-to-back A-Sun Freshman of the Year honors for the Spartans, when he averaged 11.4 points per game and added a team-high 80 assists. Craig continued his stellar play as well and earned A-Sun Player of the Year honors as just a sophomore in the Atlantic Sun.

Perry came to Upstate after helping turnaround a South Carolina State program that finished second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2008-09 during a two-year stay as an assistant coach.

Prior to coming to Upstate, Perry spent the two seasons as an assistant men’s basketball coach at South Carolina State under coach Tim Carter. Perry’s responsibilities included recruiting, scheduling, scouting and on-the-floor coaching. He was an instrumental force in helping land some of S.C. State’s top recruits in his two years in Orangeburg.

After the Bulldogs went 13-20 during Perry’s first year, he helped the team become one of the best in the MEAC in 2008-09, as they went 17-13 overall and finished second in the league with a 10-6 record.

Perry spent the 2006-07 season at the College of Charleston, serving as director of basketball operations under his college coach, Bobby Cremins. Perry was a part of a Cougars program that made the SoCon Championship. He recruited Andrew Goudelock, who was the 4A Player of the Year in Georgia at Stone Mountain High School.  Goudelock finished his career as the program’s career leader in points and ranks third in SoCon history with 2,571.  Goudelock also finished his career as CofC’s all-time leader in career three pointers made with 396.  

Goudelock reached double figures in 126 of his 140 games, reaching the 20-point plateau 46 times and surpassing 30 points eight times. He also earned a spot on the NABC and USBWA All-District team at the conclusion of his senior season.  Goudelock was drafted in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft as he was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 46th overall pick.

Before making his way to the Palmetto State, Perry spent four seasons as an assistant at Carson-Newman College under coach Dale Clayton and was promoted to associate head coach in the 2005-2006 season.

Perry began his career as a graduate assistant under Jeff Lebo at Tennessee Tech during the 2001-02 season. The Golden Eagles finished the season 27-7, won the Ohio Valley Conference, and made an appearance in the NIT.

Perry was a walk on at Georgia Tech under Cremins, eventually earning three letters and helping the Yellow Jackets make two appearances in the NIT, while appearing in 19 career games. At Georgia Tech, Perry was a four-time All-ACC Academic honoree as well as a Hope Scholarship recipient from 1997-2001.

Perry earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Georgia Tech in 2001 and his master’s degree in Education Administration in 2002 from Tennessee Tech. Perry originally from Gallatin, Tenn., resides in Spartanburg, S.C., with his wife, Kristen Perry and son, Kolton.