Courtesy of Idaho Sports Information
MOSCOW, Idaho (Idaho SID) — Leonard Perry knew just where to look — to a friend — when he started to build his basketball staff at the University of Idaho. The friend is Donnie Tyndall, who was hired as associate head coach for the Vandals.
“Donnie and I have known each other for a long time,” Perry said. “He’s followed my career as I have his. We have a lot of trust in each other and in our ability to get the job done here.”
Tyndall, 30, was the head coach at St. Catharine (Ky.) College when Perry first met him. At the time, Tyndall, then 26, was on track to becoming the youngest head coach to take a team to the National Junior College Athletic Association national tournament.
Not only did he guide St. Catharine to the national tournament in just one season, he elevated the Patriots’ success in the classroom. They went from a team grade-point average of 1.8 to an average of 2.6, all the while holding a top 10 ranking and building a 30-5 record on the court. He was the 1997 Kentucky Junior College Coach of the Year and the NJCAA Region Seven Coach of the Year.
From St. Catharine, Tyndall went to Louisiana State University where he was an assistant from 1997-98 until joining Perry this week at Idaho.
“He’s an outstanding basketball coach in all facets of the game,” Perry said. “He knows the intricacies of it. He makes great decisions during games.
“As a recruiter, he’s relentless; just relentless.”
The merging of their talents is somewhat of a dream come true for Perry and Tyndall.
“Donnie’s had other opportunities that he’s turned down,” Perry said. “We always talked about if we ever had the opportunity, we’d get together and do it.
“He’s going to be a special, special coach in this business.”
Tyndall is a native of Grand Rapids, Mich., and was a four-year starter for Grand Rapids Northview High School. He was chosen twice as the team’s MVP and is the school’s single-season scoring leader. He was recognized repeatedly on various all-state and all-conference teams.
He was a starting guard at Iowa Central Community College where, as a freshman, he was an all-region selection as well as the school’s 1990 Athlete of the Year. Tyndall also was named in Who’s Who in National Junior Colleges.
From Iowa Central, Tyndall went to Morehead (Ky.) State where he was a three-year letterman. He earned his bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a minor in business. He received his master’s degree from LSU.
His first coaching job was as an assistant at Iowa Central.
Tyndall and his wife, Christi, have one daughter, Taylor Elise.