FIU hoops to make coaching change following C-USA Tournament exit

Jeremy Ballard is out as Florida International men’s basketball head coach according to an announcement by FIU athletic director Scott Carr on Wednesday.

“I want to thank Jeremy for pouring his heart and soul into the program the past eight years, and for the genuine and respectful manner in which he operated every day,” Carr said in a statement on FIUsports.com. “Jeremy is one of the best human beings and leaders I have ever encountered, and his authenticity carried over into the student-athletes he coached and the culture he established.”

Ballard, who entered the season as the longest tenured Division I coach in the South Florida region, had the Panthers since 2018. He finished his long tenure as program’s winningest coach with a 113-141 record.

His exit comes following a 75-72 loss to Missouri State in the first round of the conference tournament on Tuesday. Senior Corey Stephenson scored 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting with 10 rebounds to lead the Panthers and finish his lone season averaging 18 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. FIU has not seen a prolific scorer since Denver Jones averaged 20 PPG for a Panthers team that finished 14-18 in 2022-23.

The Panthers’ lone postseason appearance came in the CIT during the 2018-19 season, Ballard’s first year with the program. FIU went 15-17 (8-12 Conference USA) in Ballard’s last season. Should FIU, who hasn’t appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 1995, end up being invited to a postseason tournament before a new coach is hired, associated head coach Jesse Bopp will serve as FIU’s interim head coach.

“Jeremy has left the program in a better position than what he inherited, and I want to thank him for that improvement. However, the on-court success has not been to the level we aspire to,” Carr said. “We want to be competing for conference championships and NCAA Tournament berths.”

Whomever is hired to lead the Panthers will have to put together a new team from scratch, through the transfer portal more so than traditional high school recruiting. He will have to replace eight seniors, all but one of them (Renato Ruiz) were on other rosters the previous season. The new head coach will likely be expected to do what Jai Lucas has done with the Miami Hurricanes, assembled a brand new squad and turn the program around.

“With that standard in place, a comprehensive national search will begin immediately,” Carr said, “and there will be no further comment until that is completed.”