Anthony Evans fired after five seasons at FIU

Anthony Evans has been fired after five seasons as head coach at FIU. Evans was 65-94 during that tenure, failing to lead the Panthers to the postseason.

Evans came to FIU after building up a struggling Norfolk State program. It took a few years, but Evans’ squad made their first ever Division I NCAA Tournament appearance in 2012.

This was the final year of Evans’ initial five-year deal, so the pressure was on to make big strides and earn an extension. The Panthers won more games this year than the previous two, but at 14-18 still ended up in the bottom half of the C-USA standings.

FIU, meanwhile, hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since making their one and only appearance in 1995. The Panthers haven’t made any other postseason appearances at the Division I level, despite a somewhat fertile recruiting ground.

The only FIU head coach to have any success was Bob Weltlich and he still ended his time there well below .500. Richard Pitino led the team to an 18-14 record in 2013, but left after the season to take the Minnesota job.