FIU coach persevering through tragedy, heartbreak
His mother died of uterine cancer.
His father suffered a massive heart attack.
All within the past six months.
That’s what Jeremy Ballard — FIU’s ultrapositive men’s basketball coach — has been dealing with this season.
But Ballard hasn’t been alone in this painful journey. Aside from terrific support on the part of his family, FIU administrators and his assistant coaches, Ballard’s players have also been there for him.
In fact, soon after Ballard lost his mother, Rita, on Aug. 22, he got scores of text messages and phone calls.
One text in particular encapsulated the messages Ballard received from his players:
“Coach, no matter what, we’ve got your back,” read a text from FIU guard Javaunte Hawkins. “Don’t forget, we’re your family, too.”
It was a beautiful sentiment, but it didn’t change the fact that Rita Ballard was gone far too soon at age 67.
“It’s been devastating,” Ballard said of the loss of his mom. “It tore my heart to pieces. It leveled our whole family, and we’re still trying to put the pieces back together.”
The coach’s father, John Ballard, who turns 73 in March, suffered his heart attack last spring. Since then, he has battled organ failure and other health issues, and he has been in and out of hospitals.
At one point, Rita was on one floor of her Atlanta hospital, and John was on another in the same building. While Rita was getting chemotherapy treatments, John was in the intensive care unit — essentially in a coma for six weeks.
Prior to her death, Rita was the proud grandmother of five children, including Khalif “BamBam” Ballard, Jeremy’s 9-year-old son.
“Even though it wasn’t enough, at least I got 41 years with my mom — a lot of people don’t get that,” Ballard said. “She ran her race and won her race. She accomplished everything she was sent here to do.”
After his mother was diagnosed with cancer, she went through five rounds of chemotherapy.
“She was a warrior,” Ballard said. “She had a hysterectomy, which removed a large portion of the tumors. But the cancer struck again, and her body couldn’t fight it off any longer.”
Meanwhile, despite losing his beloved wife and going through a grave illness, John Ballard is still an “eternal optimist,” according to his son.
“Dad watches every one of our games,” Ballard said. “He sends me inspirational texts before and after every game.”
Once FIU started its season on Nov. 7, Ballard was somehow able to focus on the court even while dealing with the biggest crisis of his life.
“I’m so fortunate to be a part of a profession that I’m so passionate about and that requires every ounce of my energy and spirit,” Ballard said.
“It’s all-consuming in the most beautiful way. It allows me to get lost in what I love and with the people I love. It’s been life-saving.”
Still, Ballard said that “heavy feeling” he is still processing is always present.
“There are times when the emotion overwhelms me,” he said. “Any person close to me has certainly witnessed that.
“My players have seen me cry many times. I’ve cried more in the past few months than I have in the past 20 years.”
Some of that emotion came pouring out the week of Jan. 2, when FIU scored two consecutive upsets, beating Charlotte, 62-60, and defeating UAB, 90-87, in overtime.
In the locker-room following those wins, Ballard’s players embraced him as he sobbed.
“His tragic time — we all felt it,” said Denver Jones, FIU’s leading scorer. “We all just wanted to be there for him. We know this is bigger than basketball.”