University of the Pacific head basketball coach Leonard Perry was not fired on Monday afternoon but he is no longer a college basketball coach. Yes, it is as weird as it sounds.
Perry, who took over the program in 2021, was “reassigned to other duties.”
That is the exact phrasing used by the school in its announcement. It did not explicitly state that he has been relieved of his duties or fired. It did not say that the two parties have agreed to mutually part ways.
Perry was reassigned from his position as head men’s basketball coach to other duties. Associate head coach Josh Newman will take over the program in the interim and a national search for Pacific’s next head men’s basketball coach is underway.
So Perry is fired. But also he’s not?
No further information about what exactly that might mean was provided. The Tigers did not indicate what “other duties” might entail. They did not clarify whether Perry is going to stay within the athletic department or if he is going to be joining the school in an academic role. The statement is entirely open-ended!
It could mean literally anything.
And what’s even weirder is that the phrasing makes it sound like Perry is not going to seek other opportunities within the sport. A 55-year-old basketball coach, who began his career in 1995, is going to handle other duties instead.
Perry could be leaving basketball to teach geology. He could be taking over as a crossing guard or a residential advisor. His future is literally undefined.
Obviously, Perry and Pacific have worked this out behind-the-scenes and latter didn’t just totally blindside the former with his reassignment. That doesn’t make it any less bizarre from an outsider’s perspective. The language is so ominous!
Regardless of what the agreement might look like, the Tigers are going to have a new head coach next college basketball season. Perry went 29-65 in his three years with the team. A 6-25 record in 2023/24 ultimately led to his reassignment.