Mike Perno ’00 enters his fifth season as Head Men’s Basketball Coach in 2022-23. A former point guard for The College of Saint Rose, Perno was named the head coach in October of 2018 following the retirement of Hall of Fame mentor Brian Beaury.
"I am so pleased to name Mike Perno the new head coach of the men’s basketball program at Saint Rose,” said former Saint Rose President Carolyn J. Stefanco at the time of his appointment. “Coach Perno embodies Golden Knights athletics, from his quiet confidence on the bench to his emphasis on academics and service to others off the court. As a former player at Saint Rose, he has great respect for what it means to be a Golden Knight, a bond that extends a lifetime as evidenced by the relationships he’s continued with his former teammates and the players he coached during his years as an assistant. The Northeast-10 Conference is a highly respected, competitive league, and Coach Perno will meet that high standard as our program’s leader.”
Perno earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 2000. He is in his 16th season overall after serving as an assistant coach throughout the previous 12 years, although he did handle the program’s day-to-day duties in 2014-15 and 2017-18, which Beaury missed due to medical reasons.
The Golden Knights have benefited greatly by Perno’s presence on the bench. Saint Rose has garnered five NCAA Tournament berths, including an East Regional Final (Sweet 16) appearance in 2016-17, and has advanced to a pair of Northeast-10 Conference Championship semifinals while making a run to the 2007 league title game during his tenure.
Perno had a direct hand in every facet associated with managing a highly successful NCAA Division II program throughout his time as an assistant coach. His primary focus was on recruiting, scouting, scheduling, academic monitoring, team travel, and tape exchange, in addition to preseason and postseason conditioning.
Perno furthermore chaired the Golden Knights annual alumni game and monitored practices, games and all countable related activities in accordance with NCAA and NE10 policies. He also oversaw the program’s budget, solicited team sponsorships and chaired the College’s annual MidKnight Madness celebration.
Perno assisted with the athletics department’s efforts that revolve around hosting NCAA and NE10 Championships in a variety of sports in addition to his basketball specific responsibilities.
While a student at Saint Rose, Perno was a two-year starter after transferring from Monmouth University. Both of those Golden Knights teams reached the NCAA Tournament, including the 1998-99 NCAA Northeast Regional Championship squad that advanced to the “Elite Eight” before losing a heartbreaker to Truman State, 106-101, in triple overtime. Perno started 32 games that season, connected on 91, 3-pointers and averaged 12.7 points and 3.2 assists.
In his two years of action, Perno played for teams that finished with a combined 47-15 record. He started 30 games in his final season, contributing 13.9 points and 2.9 assists while converting 87, 3-pointers.
Perno arrived at Saint Rose in a coaching capacity after serving as the varsity boys’ basketball coach at Kellenberg Memorial High School for five seasons. During that time, he earned a master’s degree from Molloy College in 2005 in Secondary English with a concentration in English Language Arts.
Perno and his wife Crystal reside in nearby Clifton Park along with their sons Kevin Patrick and Kellan Michael.
October, 2021
