Florida International has hired VCU assistant Jeremy Ballard as its next head coach, according to Jon Rothstein.
Florida International has hired VCU’s Jeremy Ballard as its next head basketball coach, per multiple sources. Official announcement expected soon.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 20, 2018
Ballard’s first stint with VCU began as an assistant under Shaka Smart, where he spent 3 seasons helping to develop future NBA players like Troy Daniels, Briante Weber, and Treveon Graham. The Rams went 79-28 during those 3 seasons, and appeared in the NCAA tournament each season.
Once Shaka Smart left, so did Ballard, which led him to 1 year at Illinois State, 1 year at Pittsburgh, and back to VCU as an assistant under Mike Rhoades this past season.
Ballard is the 6th former assistant to Shaka Smart at VCU to become a head coach, following the likes of Mike Morrell (recently named head coach at UNC Asheville), Mike Rhoades (VCU), Will Wade (LSU), Jamion Christian (Mt. St. Mary’s), and Mike Jones (Radford).
