Ballard rounds out inaugural recruiting class

By Brett Shweky/Sports Director

 

 

Jeremy Ballard’s first recruiting class is in the books, and with the first-year head coach trying to implement his new culture, he must overcome the difficulties of erasing the past foundation.

“You know it’s tough. I think there’s a preconceived notion of what FIU is as a basketball program, based mainly on what FIU has been,” said Ballard on the challenges of recruiting in Florida. “So, I’m trying to move that vision and that notion that everyone has about FIU, and replace it with what our vision is and what we’re trying to build here.”

In Ballard’s inaugural recruiting class, he managed to ink four players who coincidentally all play the guard position.

Six-foot-three guard Marcus Burwell was the first signing of the 2018 class and sent in his National Letter of Intent on Tuesday, May 22.

The Richmond, Va. native played at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Co. last season, where he averaged a team-leading 19.7 points, four assists and 3.4 rebounds-per-game. He will come into the program as a junior.

Burwell displayed his shooting efficiency while playing for the Plainsmen as he ended the year shooting an eye-opening 50.9 percent from the field and an 81.7 percent from the free throw line.

Following his first signing of Marcus Burwell, Ballard signed a pair of players out of the Sunshine State.

Guard Cameron Corcoran from Orlando, Fla. was the next signing for Ballard. However, will sit out the 2018-2019 campaign due to NCAA transfer rules.

Corcoran, who is a sophomore, will have three years of eligibility remaining and will start his FIU career next season.

The three-point specialist played his freshman season for the Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans and led the team in three-point shooting percentage with 42.6 percent. He played in all 31 games for the Trojans but only received the starting nod twice.

“This is a wonderful state with a lot of talent here, but there are a bunch of good programs in this state that are also trying to mine that same recruiting field. It’s competitive,” Ballard said.

Antonio Daye became the third addition to Ballard’s recruiting and is a local point guard from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

While playing at Fort Lauderdale High School, the versatile playmaker averaged 25.4 points, six assists and five rebounds-per-game.

Daye was described by Ballard as an “aggressive minded attacking guard who thrives in an up-tempo system.”

To conclude the class, Ballard announced the signing of six-foot-five guard and forward Phillip Smith.

Smith played his high school ball at Bullis School in Potomac, Md. where he helped lead his team to an impressive 22-10 record and a No. 11 ranking in Washington Post high school poll.

During his senior year, he averaged 11.0 points, six rebounds and two-assists-per-game.

“We have to do a great job of evaluating the talent. We have to then do a great job of then recruiting that talent,” said Ballard. “But, most importantly we need to make sure they fit what we’re building here.”

The Panthers will play their opening game of the season on Wednesday, Nov. 7 against Webber International at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.