PRE-GAME NOTES – FIU MBB VS FNU

MIAMI, FL – As the FIU Panthers make their way back home to begin a two-game homestand, we’ll go through some pre-game notes.

“Last week was a long road trip,” said FIU head coach Jeremy Ballard. “We practiced Monday morning, left after that and didn’t come back until Sunday morning.“

“We’re very excited to be back at the crib, very excited to play in front of Panther Nation, and very excited to build some momentum going forward.”

Jonathan Aybar OUT (Rest)

The Panthers’ power forward will be out for Thursday’s game against Florida National. It is not injury-related, so expect Aybar to return on Monday against Howard. Keep in mind that he was limited to only 13 games in 2023-24.

Foul Trouble

It’s no question that through the first two games players getting into foul trouble has been an issue. Between both games, FIU committed 58 fouls (31 vs. Rice and 27 vs. Southern Utah).

“Foul trouble and putting our opponents at the foul line entirely too much,” Ballard said. “We gave up 80 free throw attempts last week. 40 free throw attempts a game and you just can’t do that.“

“We need to be more disciplined with our defense. We need to be equally as aggressive with more discipline so that we’re not putting our opponents at the line.”

Ashton Williamson Impressing Thus Far

Out of the positives to take away, freshman point guard Ashton Williamson has stood out. The Indiana native has done a little bit of everything through FIU’s first two games.

He’s averaging 10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. In addition, he’s shooting 42.9% from the field.

“They’re just beginning to see who Ash (Williamson) can be,” said Ballard. “Ash is a special young man. He works hard every single day, trying to do everything that the coaches want. He has amazing talent, amazing character and he’s going to have an amazing season.”

Travis Gray Likely To Start

During the shoot-around on Friday, Gray was running reps with the starts. Expect him to start against Florida National.

After redshirting last season, the senior guard is averaging 12.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game. He’s shooting 56.3% from the field.

“It’s becoming less and less frequent that people take redshirt seasons,” said Ballard. “Travis took a red shirt season, got a lot stronger, really learned the system and he’s a very talented young man. He’s very hungry and he has a lot of room for improvement as well.”