A rare and unprecedented chapter in Perry High School sports is unfolding this fall, as David Morris prepares to coach both the boys and girls varsity basketball teams — a dual role almost unheard of at the high school level.

Morris, who began his coaching tenure at Perry in 2020, has steadily built the boys program from the ground up.  In his first season, the Bluejays went winless at 0-19. Fast forward to last season, and Morris had led the team to a remarkable turnaround, posting a 13-win campaign and tying for third place in the competitive Heart of Iowa Conference — the program’s best finish in recent years.

Now, as he takes on the added responsibility of coaching the girls team, Morris is embracing the challenge.  It started with running some camps and open gyms for the girls over the summer.  From there, it just kind of evolved.

That evolution turned into a conversation with Perry Activities Director Tina Lutterman, which ultimately led to a green light for the dual coaching role.

“I approached Tina and said, ‘Hey, here’s an idea, and I’d like to try it,’” Morris recalled. “They looked at the options, and it looks like I get to do both.”

Though it’s a heavy workload, Morris isn’t walking into unfamiliar territory.  As a teacher and coach within the school, he already knows many of the girls on the team and has a clear vision for what he hopes to build.

“I want to build a program — a foundation,” he said. “You know, this might be a one-year thing, or it might carry on for multiple years. We’ll just have to wait and see. I hope it works out for the best, especially for the girls and the program more than anything.”

Open gyms for both teams are already underway as student-athletes gear up for the upcoming season.  Official practices begin November 10 for the girls and November 17 for the boys, setting the stage for what will be a historic and undoubtedly busy winter for Coach Morris and the Perry basketball community.

Whether it’s a temporary arrangement or the start of a new tradition, one thing is certain: all eyes will be on the Bluejays and Jayettes this season as Morris leads both teams from the same bench — a true doubleheader in coaching.