Men’s basketball hires Sam Ferry as assistant coach

Pitt head coach Kevin Stallings finalized his coaching staff for the upcoming season with the addition of Sam Ferry as an assistant coach.

Ferry will replace former Pitt assistant Jeremy Ballard, who left in March to become the associate head coach at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Stallings and Ferry previously worked together at Vanderbilt, where Ferry was a student manager from 2006-10 before becoming the team’s director of video operations for the 2010-11 season.

“Sam is a tireless worker on the court and on the recruiting trail,” Stallings said in Wednesday’s press release. “He has established great recruiting ties across the Northeast and down into Virginia. His energy and enthusiasm for the game of basketball are infectious and his ability to connect with players is impressive. Sam is an outstanding addition to our staff and will make a significant impact as we build our program here at Pitt.”

Before moving to Pitt, Ferry worked at Monmouth as the director of operations in 2011. He was made an assistant coach in 2013 and helped Monmouth win a school-record 28 games and take home the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular-season championship during the 2015-16 season.

“Sam is a star in the making,” Monmouth head coach King Rice said in the release. “He is a very energetic young man that can mentor and teach young men.”

With his staff complete, Stallings can now turn his full attention toward filling out the rest of the program’s 2017 recruiting class. The team currently has five players signed or committed with several spots still open.