Former Alabama high school basketball coach, current Samford staffer dies

A former Alabama high school baseball coach and current Samford basketball staffer has died, according to multiple reports.

Multiple pages announced the news of the passing of T.J. Perry on Sunday, a longtime high school basketball coach at multiple programs across the state.

Perry, a Section High and Athens State graduate, was a longtime assistant at Skyline with both the boys and girls programs. He also served as head coach of the boys basketball program, he helped lead the program to a Class 1A Northeast Regional appearance, according to a story from the Jackson County Sentinel.

He also had stints assisting with Mountain Brook’s boys and Plainview’s girls.

Most recently, Perry announced on July 1 that he accepted a position as director of player development at Samford University under head coach Bucky McMillan.

“TJ Perry was UNCOMMON- a great person,” wrote John Shulman, former UAH head boys basketball coach and current Central Arkansas coach, on social media. “A great friend. He loved people. He loved the game. He was a basketball genius and few people knew that. He had just made it to the level he always dreamed of- an absolute tragedy. Tough day for the people who adored him.”