William Edward Berry (born 1942) is a retired American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

coach.

Early life and college career

Berry was born in

Winnemucca, Nevada Winnemucca () is the only incorporated city in, and is the county seat of, Humboldt County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 8,431, up 14.0 percent from the 2010 census figure of 7,396. Interst ...

and graduated from Humboldt County High School in 1960. He then attended Michigan State University. From 1961 to 1964, Berry played on the

Michigan State Spartans men's basketball The Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Michigan State University. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I college basketball. The Spartans have won ...

team under coach Forddy Anderson. At Michigan State, Berry was the top team rebounder for the 1962–63 season with 184 total rebounds and 9.2 per game. Berry earned his bachelor's degree in 1965 and master's degree in 1969 from Michigan State, both in

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorat ...

Coaching career

Berry began his coaching career in 1966 as head varsity basketball coach at Highlands High School of

North Highlands, California North Highlands is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sacramento County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento– Arden-Arcade– Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 42,694 at the 2010 census, down ...

and stayed as coach until 1969. After completing his master's degree at Michigan State, Berry became head coach at Cosumnes River Junior College from 1970 to 1972. Then, Berry became an assistant coach at the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

level with

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

until 1977. Berry then returned to his alma mater Michigan State to be an assistant coach under

Jud Heathcote George Melvin "Jud" Heathcote (May 27, 1927 – August 28, 2017) was an American basketball player and coach. He was a college basketball head coach for 24 seasons: five at the University of Montana and nineteen at Michigan State University H ...

and was part of the coaching staff of the 1979 NCAA championship team that featured Magic Johnson. From 1979 to 1989, Berry was the head men's basketball coach at

San Jose State San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...

. For the San Jose State Spartans, Berry had a 142–144 record, then the Spartans' second-highest win total under one coach. Under Berry, San Jose State had a 17–12 record in the 1979–80 season, won the 1980 PCAA tournament, and made the 1980 NCAA tournament. In a 21–9 season in 1980–81, San Jose State qualified for the

1981 National Invitation Tournament The 1981 National Invitation Tournament was the 1981 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Selected teams Below is a list of the 32 teams selected for the tournament.

. San Jose State also had three straight seasons over .500 from 1984 to 1987. However, the 1988–89 Spartans finished 5–23. In January 1989, when the team was 5–11, 10 of the 14 players on the Spartans men's basketball team accused Berry of "mental cruelty" and refused to play or practice under Berry as coach. However, the players declined to provide specific examples. Berry then organized a new team of walk-on athletes, including star football player Johnny Johnson. San Jose State dismissed Berry after the season on March 24, 1989. After San Jose State, Berry entered the NBA as a scout and assistant coach for the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

in 1989. He transferred to the Houston Rockets as a scout in 1991 and then assistant coach in February 1992 under

Rudy Tomjanovich Rudolph Tomjanovich Jr. (born November 24, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is a consultant for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His professional playing career, whic ...

. Berry was an assistant coach to the Rockets 1994 and 1995 championship teams. From 1999 to 2003, Berry was an assistant coach for the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

Berry was an assistant under

Tim Floyd Tim Floyd (born February 25, 1954) is a former American college basketball coach, most recently the head coach at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). He was formerly the head coach of several teams in the NCAA and the NBA. Floyd is also k ...

until Floyd resigned on Christmas Eve (December 24) of 2001, when the Bulls named Berry as interim head coach. Berry coached two games, both losses, and

Bill Cartwright James William Cartwright (born July 30, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player and a former head coach of the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 7'1" (2.16 m) center, he played 16 seasons for the N ...

became permanent head coach effective December 28. On September 7, 2006, the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

announced that Bill Berry would join the team as an assistant coach to head coach

Eddie Jordan Edmund Patrick Jordan, OBE (born 30 March 1948), also known as EJ, is an Irish businessman, television personality and former motorsport team owner. Born in Dublin, Jordan worked first at the Bank of Ireland. He won the Irish Kart Championship ...

Personal life

Bill Berry has been married to Clarice "Reese" Berry since 1963 and had two children. The Berry family lived in

Morgan Hill, California Morgan Hill is a city in Santa Clara County, California, at the southern tip of Silicon Valley, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Morgan Hill is an affluent residential community, the seat of several high-tech companies, and a dining, entertainme ...

during Bill Berry's tenure at San Jose State. Their son

Ricky Berry Ricky Alan Berry (October 6, 1964 – August 14, 1989) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Sacramento Kings. Early life Berry was born in Lansing, Michigan in 1964, when his father ...

(1964–1989) played college basketball at San Jose State under Bill Berry and in the NBA for the

before committing suicide in 1989.

Head coaching record

College

NBA

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Bill 1942 births African-American basketball coaches African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Nevada Basketball players from Nevada California Golden Bears men's basketball coaches Chicago Bulls assistant coaches Chicago Bulls head coaches High school basketball coaches in California Houston Rockets assistant coaches Junior college men's basketball coaches in the United States Living people Michigan State Spartans men's basketball coaches Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players People from Morgan Hill, California People from Winnemucca, Nevada San Jose State Spartans men's basketball coaches Washington Wizards assistant coaches 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople