Florida International fires coach Jeremy Ballard

Florida International fired men's basketball coach Jeremy Ballard on Wednesday after eight seasons and a 113-141 record.

Ballard, 44, guided the Panthers to just one postseason appearance, reaching the CIT second round in his first year at the Westchester, Fla., program in 2018-19.

Florida International just completed a 15-17 campaign (8-12 Conference USA) with a 75-72 loss to Missouri State in the first round of the conference tournament on Tuesday.

Including a 20-14 record in his debut season at FIU, Ballard's only other winning record came the following season at 19-13. The Panthers have not been to the NCAA Tournament since their lone appearance in 1995.

"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," FIU athletic director Scott Carr said. "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.

"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; we want to be competing for conference championships and NCAA Tournament berths. With that standard in place, a comprehensive national search will begin immediately, and there will be no further comment until that is completed."

Ballard was an assistant coach at VCU, Pitt, Illinois State, Tulsa and his alma mater, Colgate, before taking over at FIU.

Associate head coach Jesse Bopp has been named the Panthers' interim head coach.

--Field Level Media