(Peru, Neb.)- The Peru State Men's Basketball Team is excited to announce the hiring of Demontrez Austin as their next Assistant Coach.
 
"I'm excited to announce that Demontrez Austin is joining our basketball staff as an assistant coach here at Peru." Head Coach Roman Gentry said. "Demontrez brings a strong passion for the game, a deep understanding of player development, and a relentless work ethic that aligns perfectly with our program's culture. His experience, leadership qualities, and ability to connect with student-athletes will be a tremendous asset both on and off the court. We're looking forward to the positive impact he'll make as we continue to grow and compete at a high level."
 
Coach Austin most recently served as the Assistant Men's Basketball Coach at Division II Davis & Elkins University. During his time with the Senators, he played a key role in the development of both guards and post players, while also contributing significantly to team defensive strategies. His responsibilities included assisting with recruiting and retention efforts, planning and coordinating campus visits, leading individual workouts, supporting team practices, and contributing to overall game planning and performance analysis. First year there, they qualified for the MEC tournament despite multiple key injuries.
 
Prior to Davis & Elkins, Coach Austin was the Assistant Men's Basketball Coach at Ellsworth Community College. While with the Panthers, he helped guide the team to the NJCAA Final Four National Tournament and secure the NJCAA Region XI Championship. Under his leadership, the program produced one NJCAA All-American and five ICCAC Region XI All-Conference selections.
 
Coach Austin also served as an assistant coach at Middle Georgia Prep, where he led fundraising initiatives and designed the team's comprehensive strength and conditioning programs. At Andrew College, he contributed to practice planning, coordinated fundraising campaigns, and managed team study halls—helping the Tigers achieve an 3.3 team GPA.
 
Coach Austin earned his Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from Jacksonville University, where he appeared in 57 games, shot 53% from the field, and averaged 4 rebounds per game. He went on to complete a Master's Degree in Sports Administration and Leadership at Reinhardt University, where he also served as a Graduate Assistant for the men's basketball program. Also a year overseas professionally for 1^st league in El Salvador being named player of the week multiple times averaging 13 points and  15 rebounds leading the leading in field goal percentage at 53.8%