Who is New FIU Men’s Basketball Coach Joey Cantens?

MIAMI, FL – This past Thursday, Joey Cantens accepted the position as FIU Men’s Basketball’s 10th head coach in program history. Cantens brings 20 years of experience in collegiate and professional basketball.

A landmark day for our program. Welcome back to the 305, Coach @JCantens 👏

🔗 https://t.co/soZcyVOcxQ pic.twitter.com/qpOhfc75Ev

— FIU Men's Basketball (@FIUHoops) March 21, 2026

Daytona State College Turnabout

Joey Cantens is currently finishing out his tenure as the head coach of the Daytona State Falcons. He took over as coach of the men’s basketball team in June of 2021. Cantens quickly turned the program around, going from seven wins the year prior to 11-19 (3-12) during the 2021-22 season.

After getting a better recruiting class, his team jumped to a 27-4 (14-1) season in his second year, becoming Central Conference Champions in Florida’s NJCAA Region 8. Daytona State was ranked as high as 8th in the nation in the 2022-23 season. Cantens had six players earn All-Conference honors, including Player of the Year.

In 2023-24, the Falcons earned their first NJCAA National Tournament qualification for the first time in 25 years with a 28-4 (14-2) record. Cantens’ team has been ranked as high as #2 and made a quarterfinal appearance in the 2024-25 season, when they went 28-6 (14-2). These two 28-win seasons at DSU are school records.

Congrats to our very own Coach Joey Cantens on his selection to the Silver Waves Media Elite 75 Future Head Coach Power Lunch! pic.twitter.com/SnOHNWbZK1

— Daytona State MBB (@DSC_MBB) March 18, 2026

The 2025-26 Falcons are currently 27-7 (13-3), having just beaten Jones College in the first round of the NJCAA National Tournament. They won their third consecutive Citrus Conference championship and are in the NJCAA tournament for the third straight year. Up next, they travel to Howard College to play them in the second round this Monday, March 23, at 1:00 p.m.

For the first time since 2005, Daytona will play for the FCSAA Championship!!🏆#Road2Hutch pic.twitter.com/dSm4mZaOV0

— Region 8 Basketball (@Region8Tourney) March 13, 2026

Dynamic Offensive Coaching Style

Coach Cantens has compiled a 110-21 record (84%) over the past four years at Daytona State and is 121-40 (75%) overall in his career. He has won four consecutive conference championships and has won Conference Coach of the Year every season.

Known for his high-tempo offense-first philosophy, his teams have ranked in the top 15 nationally in scoring for each of the past four seasons. These simple tactics allow his players to play freely and confidently. His teams would frequently eclipse the 100-point mark in games, and he aims for 90 possessions per game.

Cantens sets an explicit goal for his staff and players to score 100 points a game. A perfect example of this was in the 2023-24 season, when the Falcons averaged 104.6 PPG in their first 10 games, scoring over 100 points seven times in that stretch.

2022-23: 7th, 93.7 PPG

2023-24: 2nd, 96.5 PPG

2024-25; 7th, 93.5 PPG

2025-26; 14th, 89.8 PPG

With notable recruiting experience, his teams have averaged 52% from the floor and 38% from behind the arc during his head coaching career. On his 2023-24 roster, he had five double-digit scorers, a testament to his focus on depth rather than relying on one star player.

His top impact players on the current roster include Josue Grullon, Kylin Green, and Noah Mendy. Cantens attributes a careful selection of his roster, looking for players who actually know each other and gel together on and off the court.

Joey Cantens has also served as an assistant coach for Team Breakdown of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU).

Florida Gulf Coast

He also had a previous three-year stint at Florida Gulf Coast as the Director of Basketball Operations beginning in 2011 under former head coach Andy Enfield. Joey Cantens was part of their unmatched ESPY Award-winning NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 run in 2013 when they used their “Dunk City” epithet.

San Antonio Spurs

Joey Cantens joined the Spurs as a guest coach in 2018 at the Utah Summer League. He worked with players on offensive and defensive concepts, as well as individual development workouts, and helped with practices and game planning.

Germany Stint

He worked as an assistant coach for the White Wings Hanau, a German second-division team, for the 2016-17 season. In 2017-18, he joined the MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg as assistant coach in Germany’s first-tier Bundesliga, where he worked under head coach John Patrick. That team finished in fourth place in the Basketball Champions League, a tournament for Europe’s top pro teams.

Great to see my former team play in Germany. #MHPRiesen @CoachJoshKing pic.twitter.com/5aZLrHogin

— Joey Cantens (@JCantens) May 13, 2019

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Cantens joined the IUP Crimson Hawks in 2015-16, serving as the top assistant coach under Joe Lombardi. That season, the DII powerhouse finished 21-8 and won its sixth PSAC West regular season championship. His top recruit while there was Jacobo Diaz, a player on the Spanish U18 National Team, who eventually earned First Team All-American and three-time All-Conference recognition.

University of Southern California

Joey Cantens joined his former boss, Andy Enfield, at the University of Southern California for the 2014-15 campaign. With the USC Trojans, he worked as Director of Scouting and Video Operations.

Dominican Republic National Basketball Team

During the summers of 2011-13, Cantens served under Kentucky’s Hall of Fame coach, John Calipari, who coached the Dominican Republic national team. Calipari’s coaching staff led the D.R., which earned a bronze medal in 2011 and had its best finish in the FIBA Americas Championship.

Watching my guys match up as the Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 takes on Germany 🇩🇪. In 2014, I experienced the World Championships in Spain with the Dominican National Team. I also had the opportunity to live in Germany for 2 years and coach in the Bundesliga. pic.twitter.com/BEit9x4jaz

— Joey Cantens (@JCantens) September 3, 2019

Florida State University

Joey Canteens was a graduate assistant at FSU from 2009 to 2011 under head coach Leonard Hamilton. The Seminoles reached the NCAA tournament both seasons, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the 2010-11 season. He graduated with his Master of Science in Sports Management at Florida State in 2011.

Eckerd College

He transferred to Eckerd College during his sophomore season in 2006. The Eckerd Tritons made a DII NCAA Tournament appearance each year, highlighted by a Sweet Sixteen run in 2006-07.

FIU/Miami Roots

Cantens originally started his collegiate career with FIU as a freshman, playing as a guard in the 2005-06 season. That season, made nine appearances, averaging 5.3 minutes per game, and scored four points in his last contest.

Per Pete Thamel, the FIU Panthers have hired Joey Cantens to become the next men's basketball head coach

Cantens, who was at Daytona State, posted a 120-40 record, including a dominant 97–17 run over his last three seasons.#FIU #PawsUp #Panthers pic.twitter.com/0YhnFPXC51

— Paws Up Podcast (@PawsUpPodcast) March 21, 2026

He chose to play for FIU over interest shown by the Army, Navy, Air Force, Mercer, and Elon. His uncle, Bernie, also played at Florida International from 1984 to 1987.

He graduated from Miami Christian High School, where he was a top-50 player in Florida and earned Third Team All-State honors.

Personal Life

Born in Miami in 1986, Joey Cantens is married to Mel Thomas, who is a former collegiate basketball player herself. Both share a 5-year-old daughter, Camila, and a two-year-old son, Luca. She played for the UConn Huskies from 2004 to 2008 and became a 1,000-point scorer. Thomas was the Big East Most Improved Player in 2006.

Nationally, she captured a gold medal for the U.S. at the USA Pan American Games Team in 2007. At Mount Notre Dame High School, she earned a McDonald’s All-American honor in 2004.

She also dabbled in coaching at Florida Gulf Coast, joining the women’s basketball staff in 2010 as the Director of Basketball Operations. The Eagles won four consecutive Atlantic Sun regular season championships, including two NCAA Tournament bids.

About Post Author

Ricardo Urrusuno

He’s a diehard 305 native who roots for his hometown teams in the good, the bad, and the ugly. Recently, he graduated from FIU with an MBA, but now he’s a Lemonhead covering UM basketball. Known to be anywhere and everywhere, you may catch him at a Miami sporting event.

See author's posts