After three years at UCLA and four at Nebraska, strength and conditioning specialist Stuart Hart joins the Ball State men's and women's basketball programs as their Director of Basketball Performance.

Hart will work with head coaches Michael Lewis and Brady Sallee while crafting a strength and conditioning regimen designed to elevate both programs. Having worked with both men's and women's programs through his career, he is re-united with Lewis, with whom he coached at both UCLA and Nebraska.

"This is a huge opportunity for me, from a career standpoint," said Hart who began his career journey at his alma mater, Saint Leo University, in 2008. "This gives me a chance to bring my expertise to help Coach Sallee who's already got a really strong women's program, and get back on men's side to help Coach Lewis continue building his program. I'm excited to have influence with both programs. I am grateful and excited for the opportunity to come to Ball State."

"Stu is a tremendous strength, conditioning and performance coach," said Lewis. "Bringing Stu to Ball State and reconnecting with him from our days at Nebraska and UCLA is a huge win for Ball State. Stu's knowledge, experience and passion for the development of student-athletes will make an immediate impact on our program. Player development has been the backbone of our program since we arrived here and we want to provide the best for our student-athletes. I am ecstatic to welcome Stu and his wife, Karen, to Muncie."

Echoed Sallee, "We are thrilled to welcome Coach Hart to our Ball State basketball family! His resume speaks for itself and his emphasis on basketball-specific strength and conditioning throughout his career is exactly what we were after. Our program took a huge step forward with the addition of Stuart Hart!"

Hart served as athletic performance coach at UCLA since 2021, working directly with the Bruins women's team, directing strength and conditioning protocol both on and off the court. He worked in a similar capacity at Nebraska from 2017-21, providing oversight for a high-performance program that included athletic training, sport psychology, nutrition, and strength and conditioning.

After launching his career with a six-year stay at Saint Leo, Hart transitioned to the University of South Florida where he worked with men's and women's basketball programs over four seasons from 2014-18.

Hart played basketball at Saint Leo University before graduating in 1998. Following his graduation, Hart returned to the Lions as the head strength and conditioning coach where he designed and coordinated workout programs for all of the institution's 19 sports. Hart hired, supervised and trained a staff of five at Saint Leo, and assisted the Certified Athletic Training staff with rehabilitation of student-athletes.

In addition to his role as head strength and conditioning coach at Saint Leo, Hart also served as an assistant women's basketball coach for three seasons from 2008 to 2011, breaking down film for the team, coordinating travel plans and developing a recruiting base.

A certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), Hart supervised and managed a 4,500 square-foot Fitness Center at Saint Leo, assisting university members and community patrons, while overseeing 35 student staff during that same six-year period.

He has worked exclusively with college men's and women's basketball programs over the past decade.