Terry Primm was promoted to head coach of Siena Women's Basketball in April 2024 after serving as the top assistant on Jim Jabir's staff from 2021-24. Primm followed Jabir to Siena from Florida Atlantic, where he served as Jabir’s Associate Head Coach for four years.
Primm has played an integral role in the improvement of the Siena Women’s Basketball program, highlighted by consecutive MAAC Semifinals appearances as an assistant for the first time in 11 years. Working in lock-step with Jabir, the Detroit native helped Siena achieve an 18-12 overall record including a 14-6 ledger in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action during the 2023-24 season, marking the program’s most league victories in more than two decades dating back to the 2002-03 season. Primm previously led the Saints for seven games as acting head coach during the 2022-23 season, guiding the team to a 6-1 record.
“We are very excited that Terry Primm will take over our women's basketball program,” Siena Vice President / Director of Athletics John D’Argenio said upon Primm's promotion. “Coach Primm has been a key part of Coach Jabir’s coaching staff over the last three seasons, which has led to the recruitment of outstanding student athletes and success on the court. He is the right choice to lead our student athletes and to continue to move this program toward a MAAC Championship. Join me in congratulating Coach Primm and his family on being part of a new chapter in Siena Women’s Basketball.”
Primm's first season at the helm led to the program qualifying for a national postseason tournament for the first time in 10 seasons. The Saints earned a Postseason WNIT bid, marking the sixth-ever national postseason tournament in program history. The team boasted the No. 3 seed in the MAAC Tournament following a 17-14 (14-6) season which was highlighted by a seven-game winning streak this season that lasted throughout the month of February.
Siena ranked third offensively in the MAAC in 2024-24 averaging 64.6 points per game, while his squad led the league with a 75.2 mark from the free throw line. Additionally, Primm's Saints were top-five in the conference in field goal percentage (41.4%), three-point percentage (31.2%), rebounding (35.2 RPG), blocks (3.32 BPG), and assists (13.52 APG).
Under his direction, the Saints boasted four All-MAAC performers including unanimous first team selection, Teresa Seppala, and All-Rookie selection, Myriam Traore.
After aiding the Saints to their first MAAC Opening Round bye in five seasons during his first campaign back with the team in 2021-22, Primm helped guide one of the youngest teams in the nation in 2022-23 to a fourth place regular season finish and both the program's first winning record and MAAC Semifinal appearance since 2018.
Siena boasted an 11-5 home record and a nine-win improvement while garnering five MAAC postseason honors - including Elisa Mevius winning MAAC Rookie of the Year honors. The team led the league in scoring offense and saw Mevius and classmate Teresa Seppala claim a combined 12 MAAC weekly honors - including Mevius becoming the first player in conference history to take home Player and Rookie of the Week honors on the same day. Siena ended the year with three players in double-figure scoring, six averaging seven points per-game or greater, and eight averaging more than 20 minutes per-game.
Primm was instrumental in helping the Owls achieve several milestones over his four years. In 2020-21, Primm helped FAU to eight Conference USA wins, the most in program history. The Owls also earned their first conference tournament win in program history with a victory over No. 6 UAB. Primm was the lead on bringing in Iggy Allen, who won C-USA Newcomer of the Year along with First Team All-Conference and All-Defensive Team honors. Allen ranked 14th in the NCAA in scoring (22.0 ppg) and 23rd in rebounding (10.0 rpg), while leading the Owls to 21st in the nation in rebounding (42.0 rpg).
Primm also had the opportunity to coach his daughter, Crystal Primm, in her final collegiate basketball season in 2019-20. The graduate transfer had a stellar campaign, finishing in the top-10 in points (15.4 PPG) and rebounds (8.0 RPG) in Conference USA, as well as sitting No. 7 in free throw attempts (214) and 29th in makes (137) in the NCAA. Crystal also was given a nod to the C-USA Second Team.
Also in 2019-20, the Owls put up the third most 3-pointers in a season (211), which was fourth in the conference, while tallying the fourth best free throw percentage in school history (71.7). FAU improved in a myriad of categories from the prior season, including in scoring offense, where the Owls averaged 66.3 PPG in comparison to the 2018-19 season’s 57.0 PPG.
In his first season as an assistant coach at FAU, Primm helped lead the Owls to a seventh place finish in C-USA, the program’s highest finish mark joining the league in 2013. Working primarily with the forwards, Primm helped build one of the nation’s best rebounding teams. The Owls averaged 42.3 rebounds per game, leading the conference and ranking 18th in the country.
Prior to joining the Owls, Primm spent two seasons as an assistant coach with Coastal Carolina. He helped usher the Chanticleers into the Sun Belt Conference for the 2016-17 season. The team finished with a 13-16 overall record and went 8-10 in league play. In his first season with the Chants in 2015-16, Coastal had several notable wins throughout the season, including its first-ever victory against Clemson on Nov. 15 and its first win against Liberty in 20 years to snap a 45-game losing streak against the program.
Before heading to Coastal, Primm was at Oxbridge Academy of the Palm Beaches where he served as the head girls' basketball coach and director of basketball operations since 2013. During that time, Primm led the girls' program to a 39-11 (.780) overall record over the course of two seasons, and Oxbridge Academy reached the Florida High School Athletic Association Regional Final for the first time in the school's history in the 2014-15 season. His program also enjoyed success in the classroom as the girls' basketball team boasted a 3.50 combined team GPA.
In addition to his coaching responsibilities at Oxbridge, Primm also worked for the Miami Suns Youth Organization where he served as a coach, trainer and consultant.
Prior to Oxbridge, Primm served as the head men's basketball coach at Palm Beach Atlantic University from 2007-13. Primm's teams consistently faced the top competition in the NCAA Division II South Region and were able to knock off three top-25 nationally ranked teams as well as numerous regionally ranked squads. Included in PBA's notable wins during Primm's tenure was an overtime victory over North Greenville University in the 2009-10 NCAA South Region championship game.
Before taking the head coaching job at PBA, Primm spent several seasons as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Sailfish. PBA won two NCAA regional championships and posted back-to-back 20-win seasons in Primm's two year as an assistant coach from 2003-05.
Primm is the founder of the Top Performance Basketball Academy, and has additional coaching experience as an assistant at The Benjamin School (Palm Beach Gardens) and various camps. The Benjamin School won the 2001 FHSAA Class 2A State Championship with Primm as an assistant on the coaching staff.
A two-year starter for Palm Beach Atlantic from 1995-97, Primm averaged 18.7 points per game for the Sailfish to sit fourth all-time in the men's record book. He shot 57.4 percent from the floor while making over 37 percent of his 3-point attempts to rank in the top five in each category. He also ranks in the program's top five in steals per game.
Primm is a two-time graduate of PBA, earning his bachelor's degree in business administration before completing his master's degree in organizational leadership. His daughter, Crystal Primm, played at Duke and Auburn before spending her final year of eligibility at FAU. He is the father of Crystal and Journee Primm.
