After years of losses, FIU men’s basketball gets a boost from the transfer portal
It’s a new day for coach Jeremy Ballard and his FIU men’s basketball program.
Ballard, who is a couple of months from officially starting his eighth season coaching the Panthers, told The Herald on Thursday that he is finally able to recruit out of the transfer portal thanks to new NCAA rules that allow direct revenue sharing and a financial commitment from FIU’s administration.
During the past two years, Ballard said, FIU signed zero players out of the transfer portal. Meanwhile, the Panthers lost several players to transfers, including Arturo Dean to Oklahoma State; Denver Jones (Auburn); and Jayden Brewer (Western Michigan).
All of that helps explain why FIU has endured five consecutive losing seasons.
Prior to that, in Ballard’s first two years with FIU, the Panthers won 39 games. That’s still the FIU record for most wins in a two-year span.
Looking ahead to the 2025-2026 season, Ballard has signed eight transfers and two freshmen.
It’s a new day, indeed.
“[FIU athletic director] Scott Carr and [other administrators have] strpped up and made a huge commitment to help us recruit our roster so we can be competitive in [Conference USA],” Ballard said. “They want us to take this to another level, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Asked about losing players in the past, Ballard said:
“That was hard, but we were not unique to that. Maybe we were more hurt than most. But what was more hurtful was that we weren’t able to try to reload by going into the portal.
“We had two straight years where we weren’t able to get anyone in the portal. That’s really hard. The portal became one-way traffic for us, and, in this day and age, that’s going to spell doom for you in a lot of ways.”
FIU last season went 10-23 overall and 3-15 in C-USA. The Panthers, Ballard said, were solid on defense, and they were very good as rebounders.
“But we were devoid of [offensive] skill,” Ballard said. “We struggled to shoot the ball.
“Recruiting skill and shooting ability was a priority for us, and I love who we signed. We have a roster full of gym rats — guys who are hungry to have a great season.”
FIU returns two key players: 6-3 sophomore point guard Ashton Williamson and 6-10 senior forward Olajuwon Ibrahim.
Williamson played all 33 games last season, starting 16. He averaged 7.3 points and led the squad in assists (2.7) and steals (1.6).
“Ashton had a strong freshman season,” Ballard said. “This summer, he’s more explosive. He’s gotten bigger, and he’s more of a leader.”
Areas of needed improvement for Williamson are his shooting percentages on free throws (67.6) and three-pointers (32.9).
Ibrahim, who missed virtually the entire 2024-2025 season due to a knee injury, has looked great in practice, according to Ballard.
“He can really move,” Ballard said. “He’s a tough and physical kid.”
As for the newcomers, here’s a closer look:
▪ Zawdie Jackson, a 6-0 point guard, started all 32 games for New Mexico State last season, leading the team in assists (3.1) while averaging 10.5 points. He also averaged 17.0 points in two games against FIU last season as the Panthers lost both of those contests.
Jackson bonded with Ballard as both of them grew up in the Atlanta area. In addition, Jackson gives FIU an upgrade as a shooter (37.6% on three-pointers, 77.8 on free throws).
▪ Corey Stephenson, a 6-6 and 220-pound forward, completes FIU’s core group along with Williamson and Jackson.
An Alabama native, Stephenson made 30 starts last season for Cal State Bakersfield, leading the team in rebounds (5.7); ranking second in steals (1.0); and second in points (11.4).
▪ Eric Dibami, a 6-10 and 230-pound center from Cameroon by way of Miami Prep, will likely start right away.
“From last summer — when he came to our team camp — to now,” Ballard said, “he’s made amazing improvement.”
▪ Julian Mackey, a 6-2 shooting guard, has not yet arrived on campus but could emerge as the fifth starter.
Mackey will be playing for his third team in three years following stints with Georgia State and Houston Christian.
He led Houston Christian in scoring last season (15.0), shooting 78.3% on free throws and 36.4% on three-pointers.
▪ Brit Harris, a 6-5 guard from USC Upstate, grew up playing with FIU’s Williamson.
“We weren’t aware of that when we started recruiting Brit,” Ballard said. “They have a strong bond.”
Harris last season averaged 11.6 points, making 89.1% on free throws and 37.3 on three-pointers.
▪ Michael “Mikey” Kelvin II, a 6-6 small forward from Canada, is recovering from an injury but is expected to battle Harris and Mackey for that fifth starting spot.
Kelvin, known as a gifted shooter, played three years at Queens College in Canada. Last year, he rode the bench at Oklahoma State, where Dean — the former FIU point guard — tipped off the Panthers about his ability.
“[Dean] gave us one last assist,” Ballard joked.
▪ Kennedy Brown, a 6-8 and 225-pound forward, has yet to arrive on campus. He started his career at a Division I school (Nebraska-Omaha) and played last year at Division II Roosevelt University in Chicago.
Brown averaged 6.4 points and 5.2 rebounds in 28 games last season, including 14 starts.
▪ Amarion Nimmers, a 6-3 guard, is also coming from Division II (Tampa).
▪ Larry Olayinka, a 6-9 forward, transferred in from Samford, where he averaged 3.9 points as a reserve for a 22-11 team that made the NIT.
▪ Thiago Sucatzky; a 5-10 point guard from Argentina by way of Miami Prep, just finished playing in the FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Switzerland.
“He as advanced a passer as I’ve ever seen for a kid his age,” Ballard said.