New MiraCosta College Women’s Basketball Coach Westly Perryman has never been one to back down from a challenge. 

Growing up in Massachusetts as the top ranked high school player in the state, he learned early that success comes not from avoiding obstacles, but from embracing them with everything you have.

Now, as MiraCosta College's new Women's Basketball Coach, Westly is bringing that same fearless mentality to a program ready for transformation. And his track record suggests the Spartans are in for something special.

Westly’s journey to MiraCosta College began on the courts of Boston, where basketball ran in his family and shaped his identity from age four. Thought despite winning a city championship and earning top rankings, his path wasn't always smooth.

“Back then, my mind was D1 or I wasn't going anywhere,” Perryman recalled. “But I had crappy grades and had to go the junior college route.”

That detour to Monroe College in New York City's Bronx became a life-changing experience. Playing for coaches who believed in him, Westly flourished. He finished as one of the top scorers earned All-American honors while leading his team to a conference championship. Those successes then opened doors to Boise State, where he continued as starting point guard before playing professionally in Germany and China.

But it was after his playing career ended that Westly discovered his true calling. 

Moving to Los Angeles, he took his first official coaching position as a freshman coach at John Burroughs High School in Burbank.

“Right away, I said to myself – I love this,” Westly explained. “I come from a really tough neighborhood, from a single parent household, a welfare family. So for me, I'm always wanting to inspire and show others that if you have the passion, if you have the drive, if you just never give up on yourself and your dreams, you can accomplish anything.”

Westly natural ability to connect with everyone he meets and motivate young athletes propelled his rapid rise through the coaching ranks. In just three years, he went from freshman coach to JV coach to varsity coach, before the future with a wife and family brought him to San Diego.

After moving down for his wife’s job, Westly continued to pursue coaching at every opportunity. And his local breakthrough in San Diego came when he joined Grossmont College as an assistant coach just two years ago. Immediately, players latched on to Westly’s infectious personality and coaching style. So when the head coach suddenly stepped down shortly into Westly’s tenure, it was only natural that Westly be named interim head coach. 

What happened next was nothing short of remarkable. 

When he first took over, the program had won only a couple dozen games over the previous seven years. Westly knew he had to rebuild everything from the ground up. He recruited constantly and transformed the culture to mirror his style of play. And it wasn’t long before the results spoke for themselves. That year, Westly coached the team to a 24-6 record, the program’s best in 15 years. Not only that, the team made the playoffs and was ranked top 13 in the state for the first time ever. Four of his players made the all-conference team, one earned all-state honors as a freshman, and Coach Westly was nominated for Coach of the Year statewide. 

“I was incredibly proud of that team and what we accomplished in such a short amount of time,” shared Westly. 

Unfortunately, despite that success, the school wasn’t ready to remove the interim title from his head coaching role. That’s when MiraCosta College came calling. 

“MiraCosta College feels genuinely like home,” Westly said about joining the Spartans this offseason. 

Continued Westly, “Being entrusted to build a program as a head coach is a privilege and now that I’m here, it feels like a place and a community I can help leave my mark.”

For Westly, his coaching philosophy centers on one fundamental principle – developing the whole person, not just the player.

“I'm big on connections and bonds with my players,” he explained. “I want to invest in them as people before anything else. Basketball is going to take care of itself, but it's about the person, how we get along, how we vibe, how close we are as a team.”

That approach has created remarkable loyalty. Three all-conference freshmen, including an all-state guard and the leading scorer in conference, followed Westly from his previous team to MiraCosta, which is a testament to the family atmosphere he creates.

Shared Westly, “We're really a family away from family, and I think that's something that separates us. It’s our culture and what we build as a unit.”

His recruiting style reflects this authentic approach. Rather than using sales tactics or a competition mindset with other programs, Westly simply stays true to himself.

“What you see is what you get from me,” he said. "I prefer to have natural, organic conversations that allow recruits to be themselves. Everything I do, I do with genuine passion and lead with my heart."

Do you love it? Are you passionate about what you do? Are you a team player?

Westly wants to know what motivates a recruit and what their character is like. It’s important for teammates that are family oriented and want what’s best for their family members just as much as themselves. Perhaps most importantly, Westly seeks players who can maintain positivity and support teammates even when they're struggling themselves. 

“When I had nothing in life, I still cheered for the ones who had it all because I wasn't jealous,” he reflected. 

As he prepares for his first season leading the Spartans, Westly embraces the challenge of rebuilding another program. He's focused on establishing the same winning culture that transformed his previous program and creating a family atmosphere that will live on forever.

“What really made me want to make the transition was the people,” he said. "I felt so welcomed, so supported here at MiraCosta College. Everybody walks around with joy, and I walk around with joy because I love what I do. It felt genuine, and it's been consistent.”