MUNCIE, Ind. — Indiana native and UCLA assistant coach Michael Lewis will be the next head coach of the Ball State men's basketball team, the university announced Friday.
Lewis, a native of Jasper, Indiana, has spent 18 seasons as an assistant coach, including the last three at UCLA. He'll join the Cardinals once UCLA finishes its run in the NCAA tournament.
“Along with my family, I am very grateful for the opportunity to lead the men’s basketball program at Ball State University,” Lewis said in a statement. "We are very excited to return to the state of Indiana, where basketball means so much, to lead a program with tremendous history and great potential.”
Lewis was a high school and college basketball standout in Indiana and played under head coach Bob Knight from 1996-2000 before serving as an assistant under Knight for two seasons at Texas Tech.
Lewis brings an extensive coaching background in the Midwest after serving as an assistant coach at Eastern Illinois, Butler and Nebraska before joining the UCLA program in 2019.
“Basketball in our state is personified in Michael Lewis,” Beth Goetz, Ball State director of athletics, said in a statement. “His outlook on the game, relationship building, recruiting network, pedigree and proactive approach to engagement with our stakeholders resides at a high level.
Lewis' hiring comes after the Cardinals fired head coach James Whitford after nine seasons on March 14.
