FIU men’s basketball head coach Jeremy Ballard announced the promotion of Jesse Bopp to associate head coach on Thursday. Bopp previously served as an assistant under Ballard for three seasons. He maintains his role as recruiting coordinator for the Blue and Gold.
“I am thrilled to announce Jesse Bopp as Associate Head Coach,” Ballard said. “Coach Bopp is a tireless recruiter, passionate on the court coach and a great person. He has been at FIU from day one of our tenures and has been instrumental in every bit of success we have had. Coach Bopp’s enthusiasm for coaching and helping student-athletes grow both on and off the court is unmatched and I consider myself incredibly fortunate to work with him and also call him a friend. Coach Bopp will be an excellent head coach and is deserving of that opportunity..”
During his first two seasons as an assistant, the Panthers compiled 39 wins, the most in any two-year span in program history, including a 19-13 mark in 2019-20 before the remainder of the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. During his second season at FIU, the squad finished with a 9-9 league record, earning the fifth seed for the program’s highest-ever seeding for the Conference USA Tournament. During the conference tournament, the Panthers took down Rice 85-76 for the program’s second-ever win at the postseason tournament.
FIU led the nation in blocked shots (210) and swats per contest (6.6) during the 2019-20 campaign. The team also ranked 11th in three-point defense (28.8) and total steals (280). The Panthers 8.8 steals per game ranked 13th nationally.
Bopp coached a pair of FIU players who earned Conference USA Second Team Honors with Osasumwen Osaghae and Devon Andrews taking home the honors. Along with the award, Osaghae was named to the all-defensive team and earned FIU’s first-ever Conference USA superlative after being named the Defensive Player of the Year.
Bopp reunited with head coach Jeremy Ballard for his inaugural season as an assistant coach for the 2018-19 season at FIU. The duo spent the 2013-2015 seasons together under Shaka Smart at VCU. During their first year together at FIU, the results quickly followed. FIU had a 10-8 mark in Conference USA and finished the season with an overall 20-14 record. Those 20 wins tied for the second-most in school history, and it was only the third time FIU logged 20-or-more victories. The 10 C-USA wins were the most since joining the league in 2014. Following the completion of the regular season, FIU appeared in the Collegeinsider.com Tournament (CIT). In the first round, the Panthers won their first-ever postseason tournament game with an 87-81 victory at Texas State. This was only the second postseason appearance in program history.
As a team, the Panthers set several single-season school records, including points (2,798), rebounds (1,218), assists (491) and steals (359), led the nation in steals-per-game (10.6), turnover margin (5.6) and turnovers forced (19.6), and was second in total steals.
During the 2020-21 season, Bopp saw the program go 9-17 overall and 2-15 against Conference USA opponents. He mentored a team that broke a pair of program records during the squad’s dominant 111-34 victory over Carver. The Panthers’ 34 assists and 20 made three-pointers were the new program records set. The previous mark for assists was set in 1990, while the last record from three was set at Cleveland State in 2019.
“Although a title doesn’t change my commitment to Coach Ballard and FIU men’s basketball program, I am grateful to serve as Associate Head Coach,” Bopp said. “This season, I am excited to work with our talented players and staff to take positive steps in moving this program forward.”
Bopp promoted to Associate Head Basketball Coach at FIU
