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We continue our season preview coverage with James Madison assistant coach Ashley Perez. It is hard to find a mid-major assistant coach in either the men’s or women’s game with more on-court experience than Coach Perez. She started in the Big East, scored 20 PTS in an NCAA tourney game for JMU, played pro basketball overseas, and was even part of her country’s national team. Now she is an assistant coach at her alma mater for a squad that won 29 games last season and returns each of its top-5 scorers. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Perez about playing in the NCAA tourney and how she likes her new job.
You began your college career at St. John’s: why did you decide to transfer, and what made you choose JMU? After a year and a half I did not feel like St. John’s was the right place for me for a number of reasons. JMU recruited me out of high school and ever since then the people here have proven to be supportive and have helped me grow tremendously.
In the 2015 NCAA tourney you scored 20 PTS/6-9 3PM in 24 minutes off the bench in a 10-PT loss to Ohio State: where does Kelsey Mitchell (who scored 23 PTS and is now the #2 scorer in NCAA history with 3402 career PTS) rank among the greatest players that you have ever faced? Playing against Kelsey was a great experience! Playing at St. John’s/JMU/internationally I have seen a lot of phenomenal players…and Kelsey Mitchell is without a doubt one of the better scorers I have ever faced.
In December of 2015 you scored a career-high 33 PTS/7-13 3PM in 34 minutes in a 7-PT loss to West Virginia: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? I always felt like I had something to prove when playing against bigger-name teams. I was extremely focused but played really loose so that helped.
In the 2016 CAA quarterfinals you had 21 PTS/11 REB/3 STL and scored the final 7 PTS in a 3-PT win over Charleston: where does that rank among the best all-around games of your career? That game is really memorable for me but I am not sure that I would consider it to be one of my best all-around games.
You were an 83.9% career FT shooter at JMU: what is the secret to making FTs? Being extremely relaxed and trusting the countless free throws I have practiced so that I would make them when they counted.
You played pro basketball in Ireland and played for the Puerto Rican national team at the 2018 FIBA World Cup: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball outside the US? There are a number of rules that I can specifically think of but the biggest differences are the physicality and the vast number of game styles. A lot of players overseas have their own style that is different from what I have seen here in America.
You graduated in 2016 and got your master’s degree in 2019: how much importance do you place on academics? I have grown to understand the importance of academics and the importance of personal growth. In order to be a well-rounded/understanding person it is necessary to be a lifelong learner.
Last June you were named an assistant at your alma mater to 1 of your own former assistant coaches (Sean O’Regan): why did you take the job, and how is it going so far? I took this job because of how important this program is to me and I think that I can help the program continue to grow. So far it has been challenging but rewarding.
You went 29-6 last year and return each of your top-5 scorers (Kamiah Smalls/Jackie Benitez/Lexie Barrier/Devon Merritt/Kayla Cooper-Williams): how crucial will all of that experience be to your team’s success this year? Those 5 seniors have worked extremely hard to be in the situation that they are currently in. They have experience in a number of situations which will help us hopefully tie it all together this year for a CAA Championship. They are all great kids who continue to work extremely hard: that is all that you can ask for.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Our goals are always to win a CAA Championship and make the NCAA Tournament while developing our girls to be their best. We want to continue to be seen and grow on a national scale and our seniors will be able to lead us toward that.