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Arkansas State has dismissed basketball coach Mike Balado, sources told ESPN. Balado went 82-100 over six seasons at Arkansas State, and he has one year remaining on his contract. He had just one winning season during his tenure, and the team stumbled to a 13-20 record this year, including 4-14 in Sun Belt play. His time at Arkansas State peaked with an 18-11 season in 2021-22, but two key players from that team have ended up as key contributors on NCAA tournament teams. Guard Desi Sills left for Kansas State and forward Norchad Omier, the Sun Belt Player of the Year last year, has averaged 13.6 points per game at Miami. Balado is a Rick Pitino protege who came to Jonesboro after four seasons at Louisville. He's also worked as an assistant at FUI, High Point, Miami and Florida Atlantic. Balado's buyout dropped this week to $185,000. Finding a replacement will be one of the first high-profile tasks of athletic director Jeff Purinton, who arrived at the school from Alabama in May 2022. Arkansas State has made just one Division I NCAA tournament in school history, earning a No. 15 seed back in 1999.
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