MIAMI (June 28, 2017) – Since his arrival at FIU three years ago, Jarrett T. Lockhart has served as the director of basketball operations for the Panthers, overseeing travel and the overall operations of the men's basketball program. On Wednesday, FIU Head Coach Anthony Evans announced that Lockhart was promoted to assistant coach, effective July 1. He replaces Eric Pastrana who was named the head coach at Daytona State College in June and will be primarily responsible for working with the Panthers' backcourt players.

"I am excited to be promoted from director of operations to assistant coach," said Lockhart. I have learned a lot under Coach Evans these last three years being in his system, so I am very eager to get working, get recruiting, get on the court and try to develop some of our guys – our guys that are coming back and the newcomers as well. I am just extremely excited to have this new opportunity."

"Jarrett has been an integral member of my staff," said Evans. "He is a tireless worker and will thrive in his new role an assistant coach. His experience as a college player and a professional athlete will be an asset in the development of our student-athletes."

Lockhart earned his bachelor's degree in social science with a minor in African studies at the University of Pittsburgh, where he had a very successful basketball career from 1996 to 2000. He was a team captain and a three-year starter for the Panthers. Lockhart netted 900 career points and grabbed 333 rebounds in 103 career games for Pitt. His best season came during his senior campaign, netting 11.9 points-per-game.

Lockhart enjoyed a three-year professional playing career in France, in which his team, Denain Voltaire, advanced to the French Cup in 2003. Following his playing days, Lockhart served as a program manager at Youth Places in Pittsburgh for three years (2004-07) before entering New York City politics as chief of staff for NYC Council Member Maria Baez (2007-10).

Before his previous position with FIU, Lockhart spent one season (2013-14) as an assistant coach at Lincoln College of New England in Southington, Connecticut. During his stint there, the Wildcats had one of the most successful seasons in program history, as the squad went to the National Junior College Athletics Association National Tournament for the first time in school history and finished ranked eighth in the country.

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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in eight different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and at Riccardo Silva Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor¹s, master¹s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU is Worlds Ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded 200,000 degrees and enrolls 50,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.