May 1, 2007

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) -Former Tulane and Miami coach Perry Clark was hired Tuesday as the new men's basketball coach at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, coming off its first NCAA tournament appearance.

Clark has been out of coaching for three years, working as a TV analyst. He replaces Ronnie Arrow, who helped start the Islanders program in 1999 and resigned after last season to go to South Alabama.

A&M-Corpus Christi went 26-8 last season. In the opening round of the tournament, the Islanders led second-seeded Wisconsin 25-7 before losing 76-63.

Clark was fired at Miami after the 2004 season with three years left on his contract. He went 65-54 in four seasons, but 25-33 in the last two. The Hurricanes made the NIT in 2001, then went 24-8 the following year but lost as a No. 5 seed in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Tulane went to the tournament three times under Clark, who was 185-145 with six 20-win seasons there. His first team was 15-13 after the Green Wave went 4-24 the previous year.

"Perry Clark is a proven winner, on and off the basketball floor, and we are fortunate at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to have a man of his knowledge, experience and integrity leading our basketball program," athletic director Brian Teter said.

Clark was an assistant at Penn State and Georgia Tech before taking the Tulane job.