Perioli eager to join Virginia Dream coaching staff for TBT
Jul. 1—PHOENIX — Nick Perioli felt like a college basketball player on the verge of March Madness as he streamed The Basketball Tournament selection show, waiting to see if his next coaching opportunity would be fulfilled.
Perioli will serve as an assistant coach for the Virginia Dream in the annual $1 million, winner-take-all, TBT later this month.
The tourney is entering its ninth year and the well-traveled Perioli — the John C. Birdlebough (Phoenix High School) boys varsity basketball coach and the all-time leader in assists and steals at Oswego State University — will get involved for the first time.
The 64-team, single-elimination event will run from July 16-Aug. 2 and games will be televised on the various ESPN networks.
"What an opportunity to coach with them and play against great teams on ESPN, that's a huge opportunity," Perioli said.
The Virginia Dream garnered the eighth seed in the West Virginia Regional and will face top-seeded Best Virginia, which is an alumni team representing West Virginia University, in the first round at 7 p.m. on July 24.
The squad was among the last to be officially announced during the TBT online bracket reveal special on June 22.
Perioli was watching with anticipation and quickly called general manager/head coach Reginald Jeffries upon being confirmed for the always-anticipated tourney.
"Just to get in, 64 teams, just like the NCAA Tournament, you're sitting there watching just like they do for March Madness," Perioli said. "Then it was immediate, as soon as we knew we got in, we all got on the phone, and it was like: 'OK. Let's plan it.'"
The Virginia Dream plays regularly in the Official Basketball Association, which is a minor league organization comprised of franchises around the country. The unit is making its TBT debut this summer.
Perioli was recently approached by Jeffries on social media for advice on various aspects of running the organization, drawing from Perioli's experience with the Syracuse Stallions and extensive overseas background.
The two became friends and Jeffries asked Perioli to join the coaching staff if they were to be selected for TBT, and the Firebirds coach quickly accepted the offer.
The team will feature three players with TBT experience — BJ Gladden Jr. from Georgia Southern University, Ed Polite Jr. of Radford, and Jervon Pressley from Hampton — along with several other former Division I, II, and III standouts.
Perioli said that he has watched TBT each year and pulled for teams like "We are D3," comprised of former Division III standouts like him. Perioli still holds the records for career assists (567) and steals (226) at Oswego State.
He was also drawn to the many underdog stories and touching triumphs that have played out each year, and he hopes that the Virginia Dream can steal some headlines this year by pulling off a major first-round upset and potentially advancing even further.
"We're kind of in that boat where nobody knows about us or knows our players, they just see our name and that's it," Perioli said. "So, it's cool to be a part of that because you watch it and you get to see it on TV, and now you get to be there and maybe do some damage."
The TBT will be a highlight of yet another busy summer in the game for Perioli.
Perioli recently spent six days in Dubai on a scouting trip with the former owner of a franchise he played for, the New Jersey Pros, who is starting a league there.
Just before departing for TBT, he will host the annual Phoenix basketball camp from July 18-21 with more than 140 kids signed up to partake.
Perioli will cap off his summer coaching duties from Aug. 10-18 in Bulgaria, where he will visit to oversee his annual camp that he started several years ago while playing in the area.
He will return to coach the Phoenix Firebirds next season after they finished 16-5 overall last year, continuing their climb in Section 3 Class B with a combined 25-9 record over the past two seasons.
