The previous week, Perioli worked his first camp as a part-time youth coach for the Golden State Warriors Basketball Academy.

The former Oswego State star who played professionally overseas for more than a decade was happy to be back home to resume a busy summer slate for his Phoenix program.

“The kids are always looking for something to do, and there isn’t a lot in the area for them to go play, so this gives them something to do for a couple days a week,” Perioli said.

Perioli was hired by the Golden State Warriors franchise in March, and last week marked his first assignment.

He worked as a coach at a weeklong camp for players 18 and under at the NBA team’s practice facility in Oakland, California.

Perioli was one of 25 coaches — all with a variety of backgrounds in the sport — and there were 150 players from around the world taking part. Perioli noted roughly 40 youth players from China participated.

Perioli was awarded “Coach of the Week” at the event. As part of his reward, he was entered into a pool of potential event staff for the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend next February hosted by the Warriors at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

If he is selected, Perioli would be on site at the NBA Slam Dunk Contest and 3-point Shootout helping with various tasks, while also coaching at youth clinics throughout the weekend.

Perioli is considering another one-week stint for a Warriors youth camp in California later this summer.

“It was a really cool experience, and I’m glad I did it,” Perioli said.

“I’ve traveled, that’s never anything new, but I got to meet some great kids and I got to network with some other coaches that could either help me out down the line, or help one of my guys trying to get to a college.”

Perioli is now back at his home base where he is just as happy to help teach the game.

He started the skills clinic in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and said he was inspired to provide an option for players too young for the modified level to work on fundamentals and form a solid skill base.

The one-hour sessions are held every Tuesday and Thursday through the end of August for boys and girls in grades 3-9, regardless of their school district.

Perioli anticipates roughly 10-15 players for each session.

“I didn’t want to bury them with all these drills. I just wanted to work on some fundamentals,” Perioli said.

He later added, “You’re trying to break them out of their shell a little bit because the younger kids don’t really know me yet, but it’s good. The effort is good, and we always get a pretty good turnout.”

The skills clinic was preceded by a practice for the high school players, and several varsity players also attended a private skills session starting at 6 a.m.

Perioli plans to have the gym open from 6-10 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday for the remainder of the summer.

Phoenix is also hosting a varsity boys summer league on Monday nights.

The Firebirds finished 14-7 overall last year and lost in the first round of the Section III Class B playoffs.

“I think we’ll have a pretty good squad this year. The goal is to get a little deeper in the playoffs, so that’s why I wanted to get a little more involved this summer, because I want these guys playing together more,” Perioli said. “I think by doing all that summer stuff, they get to know each other better, so that helps when it comes to those crunch times.”

Several high school players stayed during the youth skills clinic to scrimmage in small groups on side baskets.

Also present was 2024 graduate Lincoln Kersey, who recently committed to play for NCAA Division III Vermont State University Lyndon.

Kersey credited his past summer skill work at Phoenix — much like all the young hopefuls on the court Tuesday — as a key step toward reaching his goal of playing college basketball.

“I’ve come in every summer as long as I could, and I feel like the benefits are amazing,” Kersey said. “The extra work that I can get in here, outside of what I do on my own, is just going to help me a lot.”