Florida International University is welcoming a new Panther to its pack in the basketball den.
FIU athletic director Pete Garcia first announced the hiring of Jeremy Ballard Friday.
"Excitement and joy do not even begin to describe the emotions that I feel becoming the FIU head basketball coach," Ballard said. "I have always admired FIU from afar and felt it could be a championship program. I am thrilled to be joining the South Florida community and cannot wait to build a culture that the greater Miami area can be proud of."
The school on Monday morning officially introduced Jeremy Ballard as the new head coach for the men's basketball team with an 11 a.m. press conference.
Ballard comes to FIU after serving as Virgina Commonwealth University's associate head coach last season.
He has spent 14 seasons as an assistant coach at the Division I level with stops at Pittsburgh, Illinois State, VCU, Tulsa and Colgate.