Perry Watson (born April 30, 1950) is an American

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

coach from

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, Michigan. He played for

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public university, public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal ...

(where he was a teammate of

George Gervin George Gervin ( ; born April 27, 1952), nicknamed "the Iceman", is an American former professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Virginia Squires, ...

), graduating in 1972. In 1977, Watson took the head coaching position at Detroit Southwestern High School where he coached, among others, future NBA players

Jalen Rose Jalen Anthony Rose (born January 30, 1973) is an American sports analyst and former professional basketball player. In college, he was a member of the University of Michigan Michigan Wolverines, Wolverines' "Fab Five (University of Michigan), Fa ...

Voshon Lenard Voshon Kelan Lenard (born May 14, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player who played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was listed as and 215 lbs, and was born in Detroit, Michigan. College care ...

and

Howard Eisley Howard Jonathan Eisley (born December 4, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player and current coach. Born in Detroit, Eisley played college basketball for the Boston College Eagles and was drafted in 1994 by the Minnesota Timbe ...

. Watson left Southwestern to take a position on Steve Fisher's staff at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1991, coinciding with the arrival of the Fab Five of which Rose was a member. After two years as an assistant under Fisher, Watson was hired as the head coach at the

University of Detroit Mercy The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Cath ...

, where he spent the next 15 seasons. He compiled a record of 258–185, second in school history behind only Bob Calihan. He led the Titans to three

Horizon League The Horizon League is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the league's eleven member schools are located in ...

titles, along with their first NCAA Tournament wins since advancing all the way to the Sweet 16 in 1977. Watson took an indefinite medical leave of absence in January 2008. He resigned on March 5, 2008. Perry Watson was an important character witness in the

University of Michigan basketball scandal The University of Michigan basketball scandal, or the Ed Martin scandal, concerned National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) rules violations resulting from the relationship between the University of Michigan (or Michigan), its men's bask ...

References

1950 births Living people American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Michigan Basketball players from Detroit Detroit Mercy Titans men's basketball coaches Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball coaches Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball players High school basketball coaches in the United States Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Michigan Wolverines men's basketball coaches Southwestern High School (Michigan) alumni 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-basketball-coach-stub