Eastern Illinois men’s basketball head coach Marty Simmons has announced the addition of Desmond Balentine as an assistant coach on the Panthers men’s basketball staff.

Balentine comes to EIU following two seasons as the head coach at NCAA Division II Tiffin University in Ohio with four total seasons on the Tiffin staff.   He helped the program post its most wins in a 20-year period during his time as an assistant coach before taking over the head coaching position in 2024.

Prior to his time at Tiffin, Balentine was a graduate assistant coach at Incarnate Word while also coaching SATX Basketball in San Antonio.

A Kokomo, Ind., native, Balentine played at Tyler Junior College before ending his playing days at Incarnate Word.  He earned both his bachelor’s (2020) and master’s (2021) from UIW.

https://eiupanthers.com/news/2026/4/14/balentine-joins-eiu-mens-basketball-staff.aspx