UNLV basketball assistant brings defensive scheme to Rebels

There’s an alternate universe where UNLV assistants Barret Peery and Jamaal Williams are still coaching together.

Back in 2018, Peery — then the coach at Portland State — was searching for a new assistant. Williams was already a big name in the Pacific Northwest from his time in preps and with AAU powerhouse Seattle Rotary EYBL, so Peery brought Williams in for an interview.

Things didn’t work out, but Portland State interviewed Williams again in 2020 for another opening. But by the time he joined that staff, Peery had already departed to take the associate head coach position at Texas Tech.

So when UNLV coach Kevin Kruger brought Williams’ name up to fill the final assistant position for the Rebels, Peery, who was already onboard, was ecstatic.

“That’s how coaching is,” Peery said. “You never know where you’re going to be from year to year, but our relationship is really good. We’re excited to work together.”

Peery and Williams make up two-thirds of the Rebels’ revamped coaching staff for the 2022-23 season. Kruger lost all his assistants from the past campaign during the offseason, with all three going to Power Five programs.

Williams is still relatively new to the college coaching ranks, but Peery brings the Rebels more than two decades of familiarity at various levels of the collegiate games.

“He brings a ton of energy,” Kruger said, “A ton of experience.”

Peery first made a name for himself in the junior college ranks, then served as an assistant at programs including Santa Clara and Utah. However, it was his work at Arizona State in the mid-2010s which put him on Kruger’s radar.

The UNLV coach played the first three seasons of his collegiate career with the Sun Devils and still has connections to the ASU program. Kruger heard rave reviews about Peery’s time there.

Kruger believes Peery’s influence has been apparent since his arrival at UNLV. The former Texas Tech assistant is always one of the first coaches to the gym, shooting around with the players before practice begins. Kruger said the Rebels haven’t been doing a traditional warm-up because the entire team has already worked up a full sweat shooting with Peery before changing into their practice jerseys.

Intensive warm-ups are far from Peery’s only responsibilities. Kruger has also tasked him with helping the Rebels maximize their defensive talent.

They want to bring elements of the Red Raiders’ scheme to Las Vegas. Texas Tech’s defense was jointly ranked first in the Big 12 during the 2021-22 season with Texas. Both teams allowed opponents to score just 60.6 points per game.

“We’ve been able to implement some things that are really going to fit our program,” Peery said.

Peery and fellow new assistant John Cooper also serve as an important sounding board for Kruger. The second-year coach said their input has already been invaluable. Peery doesn’t consider anything he’s contributed to be advice. He says, if anything, he just brings some sympathy and understanding about the responsibilities coaches face.

“There’s no way to really describe what that feeling is, when you slide over 18 inches on that bench,” Peery said of being a head coach. “It’s something that never goes away. It’s a responsibility that’s on you 24/7.”

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.