Richard Pitino and Jeremy Ballard have some things in common, but the FIU Panthers are hoping the pattern doesn’t completely follow.
Allow us to explain:
The last time an FIU men’s basketball team won 18 games was during the 2012-2013 season, when first-year coach Pitino led the Panthers to an 18-14 record and the finals of the Sun Belt Conference.
Immediately after that season, Pitino bolted for a job coaching the Minnesota Gophers.
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FIU replaced Pitino with Anthony Evans, who suffered through five consecutive losing seasons, including a 7-24 record in 2016-2017.