Barret Peery was hired as an assistant coach for the UNLV men's basketball program prior to the 2022-23 season.
In his first season with the Runnin' Rebels, he helped the team to 19 wins, including two over ranked teams, the most in a season for UNLV since 2015-16. The Runnin’ Rebels began the 2022-23 season with a 10-0 start, their best in 34 years, and their non-conference record of 11-1 was the program’s best in 32 years. After the 10-0 start, UNLV received votes in both polls.
During the 2023-24 season, the Runnin’ Rebels reached the postseason for the first time in 11 years, winning their first postseason game in 16 years and two postseason games for the first time in 17 years. They hosted a NIT game for the first time in 19 years and finished the season with 21 wins, their most since 2012-13. The team went 12-4 in its final 16 games, led by Dedan Thomas Jr., the Mountain West’s Co-Freshman of the Year. Thomas Jr. led UNLV in scoring (13.6 ppg) and assists (5.1 apg), setting the MW freshman assist record with 174 and leading the nation in assists among freshmen.
The 2023-24 season also saw UNLV defeat No. 8 Creighton, marking its first win over a top-10 team in four years and the first non-conference top-10 win in nine years. In total, UNLV won four games against ranked teams, the most in a single season since 2012-13. The team also excelled on the road, securing eight true road wins, the most since the 2010-11 season. UNLV recorded five victories against NCAA NET Quad 1 teams, tying for the fourth-most in the Mountain West, and was one of just 33 teams in the country to have five Quad 1 wins. Their 12-6 MW record, placing fourth, was their best in four years, with four MW sweeps along the way (New Mexico, Fresno State, Wyoming, San Jose State).
The Runnin’ Rebels finished February 2024 with a 6-1 record, their best finish in that month since 1996-97. UNLV’s 10-1 stretch during conference play was its best in 32 years, since going undefeated in the Big West during the 1991-92 season.
Peery came to Las Vegas after serving as associate head coach at Texas Tech in 2021-22, where the Red Raiders went 27-10 overall, finished third in the Big 12, and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Prior to Texas Tech, he was the head coach at Portland State from 2017-21, compiling a 63-57 overall record. In his first three seasons at Portland State, Peery's teams won 54 games, including 20 in his debut season, the most ever by a first-year coach in program history.
Peery has also been a head coach at the junior college level, leading teams at College of Southern Idaho (2002-05) and Indian Hills Community College (2011-14) to a combined record of 178-30. At Indian Hills, Peery's 2014 team was the NJCAA runner-up with a 34-3 record. He has also served as an associate head coach at Santa Clara, where he helped the program to its first winning season in four years, and has had stints at Utah, Arizona State, Southern Utah, and Snow College.
Peery played college basketball at Snow and Southern Utah, where he earned his degree in 1996. He was an Academic All-League honoree and co-captain for the Thunderbirds. He and his wife, Tracy, have four children: daughter Kennedy, who plays volleyball for UNLV, and sons Crew, Whitton, and Meyer.
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