MIAMI (March 15, 2019) – FIU men's basketball Head Coach Jeremy Ballard has been named a finalist for the 2019 Ben Jobe Coach of the Year Award. The announcement, made by Collegeinsider.com, came one day after the Panthers' first year coach was named a finalist for the Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year Award.
Ballard has guided FIU to its first winning season – 19-13 overall and 10-8 in Conference USA play – since 2012-13 (18-14) and only its second winning campaign since 1999-00 (16-14). Since going to Division I to start the 1986-87 campaign, and including this season, the Panthers have recorded just six seasons with an overall record of .