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Is Gerry Glasco finally the answer for Texas Tech softball stability? Justus Perry thinks so | Giese
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- Is Gerry Glasco finally the answer for Texas Tech softball stability? Justus Perry thinks so | Giese
Coincidence and destiny are often mistaken for each other, as if something in the universe had decided the fate of two somewhat unrelated things and put them together.
That could be said for Justus Perry. Last week, Perry made the 26-hour drive from Philadelphia — where she is an assistant coach at Swarthmore College — to Lubbock to join the Hub City Adelitas, the newest member of Women's Professional Fastpitch.
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Perry was in town less than a week from the time she signed with the Adelitas before the team held its first game in Floydada. To make things more interesting, life threw her another curveball when she got a flat tire on her way to the debut contest.
MORE ON THE HIRE: Louisiana's Gerry Glasco hired as new Texas Tech softball coach
It would've been more than understandable if, in all this chaos and game preparation, Perry would've neglected to call me back as we had scheduled earlier in the day.
But Perry had a story to tell, memories to share about one of the first softball coaches she gravitated toward as she was making her college decision. It just so happened to be Gerry Glasco, who, hours before a nail punctured Perry's tire, was named head coach of the Texas Tech softball team.
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Perry recalled attending Glasco's camps while an associate head coach at Georgia. Along with fellow Adelita Ciara Bryan, she would play home run derby with Glasco's daughter, the late Gerri Ann. Perry almost committed to Georgia because of Glasco but ultimately went to Auburn.
As luck would have it, Glasco wound up at Auburn for Perry's freshman year, serving as associate head coach. Their time together was short — Glasco took the head coaching job at Louisiana the next year — but Perry's memory of him is vivid.
Director of athletics Kirby Hocutt introduces Gerry Glasco (left) as the new Texas Tech softball coach on Thursday, June 27, 2024, in a conference room at Jones AT&T Stadium.
"From the bottom of my heart," Perry said, "he's one of my favorite people in the world of softball. He has the biggest heart of anyone I've really ever met. And what's crazy is he's a coach, but he coaches how he is as a person, and you don't find that very often."
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Perry said she appreciated Glasco's honesty, how he "coaches like a dad" and treated her and her teammates "like he loves you in all aspects of your life." Perhaps most importantly, Perry said, is whatever comes out of Glasco's mouth is exactly what he means.
"That feeling I had with him," Perry said, "was nothing that I've ever been able to replicate with any other coach."
During his introductory press conference Thursday, Glasco said that's just the kind of coach he's always been, and he plans to continue that with Texas Tech.
Justus Perry
"I think one of my weaknesses as a coach is I'm too transparent," Glasco said. "I'll tell you what I'm thinking, especially when I've messed up, and I'll tell you when we're not getting it done, to the point that sometimes I need to be quiet. ... Transparency and honesty is the backbone of all great things."
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Those are two qualities the Red Raiders could use.
The last two hires of Sami Ward and Craig Snider each lasted just two years. Alanna Barraza, who signed under Adrian Gregory and was around for the past two tenures , told me earlier this year she wanted to know what she was hearing from Snider was legitimate.
"Recruiting face," as Barraza put it, has gotten the better of many players, coaches saying one thing and doing another behind the scenes — the Texas A&M baseball debacle being the latest example of such hijinks. Barraza felt Snider was here for the long haul, that she could believe in his message and leadership.
Luckily for Barraza, she had already exhausted her eligibility when Snider headed for the exits earlier this month.
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Glasco said director of athletics Kirby Hocutt made it clear during the search that he intends for the hire to be someone who wants to be at Texas Tech, not someone with one foot out the door.
"It's not just take the job and start it," Glasco said, "but take the job and finish it, and I'm committed to that. I'm firmly committed to that."
More: Texas Tech softball searches for new head coach after Craig Snider's resignation
Perry's biggest recollection of Glasco's demeanor revolves around his "bubbly, loving aura," his love for the sport and love for "everyone that he comes in contact with." Texas Tech softball could use that love right now, and Perry is confident they've got just the man to bring it.
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"I think it's nothing but greatness that he's going to bring over here," Perry said. "I'm really excited to now follow along."
So is it coincidence Perry found her summer home in Lubbock the same week a coach she admires gets hired?
Or is it destiny Glasco, who spent many years quail hunting in the likes of Jayton and Aspermont, who said he applied for the Tech job in 2014, wound up in the Hub City at the same time as Perry?
For the sake of the program, the hope should be that it's a little bit of both.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Can Gerry Glasco bring stability to Texas Tech softball?
