Ball State fires coach Michael Lewis after 4 seasons

Ball State fired men's basketball coach Michael Lewis after three consecutive losing seasons, the university announced on Saturday.

The Cardinals wrapped up the regular season Friday night with an 85-69 defeat of Central Michigan. The victory wasn't enough to save the job of Lewis, whose team finished the season at 12-19 (7-11 Mid-American Conference).

Ball State finished ninth in the MAC and did not qualify for the conference tournament. Only the top eight teams will play for the tournament title next week in Cleveland.

"We are grateful to Coach Lewis for the passion and commitment he brought to our program the past four years," Ball State athletic director Jeff Mitchell said in a statement from Muncie, Ind. "We appreciate the time and effort he invested in our student-athletes."

Ball State hired Lewis in March 2022, and he compiled a 61-64 record. His only season above .500 was the first one, with the Cardinals finishing 20-12 in 2022-23 for their first 20-win season in six years.

Lewis, 48, was an assistant coach for 18 seasons before accepting the Ball State job. Previous stops included UCLA, Nebraska and Butler.

As a player, Lewis was Indiana high school Gatorade Player of the Year before going on to play at Indiana for Bob Knight from 1996-2000. After Knight became the coach at Texas Tech in 2001, Lewis served on his staff as a graduate assistant for two seasons.

--Field Level Media