Scott Pera

Teams coached: Rice Owls
Rice record: 96-127 (.430)
Overall record: 96-127 (.430)

Scott Pera
Born August 27, 1967
Hometown: Hershey, Pennsylvania
Alma Mater: Penn State Harrisburg (BA, 1989)
Spent thirteen seasons as a high school coach at the beginning of his career, including five years as head coach at Annville-Cleona HS (PA) and six years at Artesia HS (CA)
- At Artesia, Pera coached future Sun Devil and NBA superstar James Harden
- Also spent one year as an assistant under Robert Schlosser at D-III Elizabethtown (PA)
Hired in 2006 as the Director of Basketball Operations at Arizona State under Herb Sendek and was promoted to full-time assistant the following year; became the ASU recruiting coordinator in 2008
- Successfully recruited his former player, James Harden, to leave California for Tempe, AZ
- Harden would start 68 games in two years at Arizona State and was named Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2009 before leaving for the NBA, where he would go on to become an All-Star player
Coached for two years under Jerome Allen at Penn and three years under Mike Rhoades at Rice
Hired in March 2017 as the new head coach at Rice, after Rhoades left for the VCU job
- Went 96-127 through seven seasons at the helm, with two postseason berths (the CBI in 2022 and 2023)
- The program moved to the AAC in 2023 and went just 11-21 (5-13) in their first season there; Pera was fired in March 2024