FIU women’s soccer coach rescues program in tatters, earns contract extension
In the four seasons before Jonathan Garbar arrived as FIU’s women’s soccer coach, the Panthers went 6-55-1.
This past season — Year 3 under Garbar — the Panthers were vastly improved at 8-6-4.
Given that, it’s no surprise athletic director Scott Carr extended Garbar’s contract through the 2027 season.
Consider that from the team Garbar inherited, there was only one player left on the roster this past season — Paige Davis, and she is now out of eligibility.
“This was not a rebuild,” Garbar said. “This was a complete reconstruction.
“The first phase was a demolition. The second year, we were competitive even if the record didn’t reflect that fact. This season, we finally got some results.”
Garbar said he “admittedly underestimated” the program’s problems when he got hired.
“You don’t know what you have until you are in the environment,” Garbar said. “There was no identity. The culture was fractured. The program was lost. We had to pretend we were creating a brand-new program.
“But my background is in player development, and I was excited to be part of something where I was required to build.”
BARRY BASKETBALL
Women’s basketball coach Heather Macy and star wing Audrey Jennings — both in their first year at Barry University —- go way back.
Jennings now leads the Sunshine State Conference in scoring (17.3), and ranks fourth in free-throw percentage (88.9).
Jennings, a 5-9, 133-pound junior wing, is from North Carolina’s Elkin High, where the school retired her jersey after a four-time all-conference career.
Then, at NCAA Division III Greensboro in North Carolina, Jennings played for Macy, and they led their school to a 51-5 record the past two years. Jennings averaged 17.2 points last season and was named the USA South Conference Player of the Year.
When Macy was hired at Barry, Jennings followed her — without ever visiting Miami.
“She loves it down here,” Macy said. “She’s a redhead with fair skin, but she’s already getting a bit of a tan.”
On the court, the transition from Division III to Division II has been just as smooth for Jennings, who aspires to become a physical therapist after she is done playing basketball.
“Her fire and internal drive are her separators,” said Macy, who is also from Elkin. “She has a 3.9 grade-point average, and she got mad when she got an A-minus.
“Whether it’s academics or basketball, she is the ultimate competitor.”
Macy said Jennings is best on her drives to the basket.
“Even though she is super thin, she’s tough,” Macy said. “She contorts her body in weird ways.”
Macy added that Jennings is frustrated that she is shooting only 24.1 percent on threepointers. Jennings shot between 32 and 38 percent from deep in her two years at Greensboro.
“She’s leading the league in scoring,” Macy said, “and yet she’s not playing anywhere close to her best.”
THIS AND THAT
The top-ranked and reigning national champion Nova Southeastern University’s men’s basketball team (9-0) owns the NCAA Division II record with 61 consecutive regular-season wins. The previous record was 55.
Florida Memorial senior point guard Chanze Cruesoe was named the NAIA’s Sun Conference Player of the Week after his triple-double helped the Lions upset 17th-ranked Morningside, 88-83, in overtime. The Lions (11-1) trailed by seven points with less than two minutes left in regulation. Cruesoe finished with 16 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
Also in NAIA men’s basketball, Milton Matthews leads
St. Thomas University (9-3) with a 22.6 scoring average. He is shooting 91.4 percent on free throws and 44.4 percent on threes. Teammate Jordan Hernandez, who is from Miami Killian High, is averaging 14.3 points, and is shooting 45.3 percent on three-pointers. Both of them are 6-3 guards.