Howlett Named IU Indianapolis Head Men's Basketball Coach

INDIANAPOLIS - The IU Indianapolis Athletics Department and Director of Athletics Luke Bosso have announced that Ben Howlett will be next head coach of the men's basketball program. Howlett comes to IU Indy after an unprecedented run of success at West Liberty (W.Va.) University, having led the Hilltoppers since 2017.

Howlett becomes the 12th head coach in IU Indy history.

"My family and I are honored and privileged to be the next men's basketball coach at IU Indy. We plan to put every ounce of energy and effort into making this program a winner," Howlett said. "We will play up-tempo and bring an exciting brand of basketball to Indianapolis. We can't wait to get started."

Howlett compiled a 217-37 record in eight seasons at the helm of the West Liberty program, helping the Hilltoppers collect eight straight Mountain East Conference (MEC) regular season titles and eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances. He was a three-time MEC Coach of the Year and earned Atlantic District Coach of the Year honors this past season. His 2023 squad reached the NCAA Division II National Championship game, falling to his mentor Jim Crutchfield's undefeated Nova Southeastern squad in the title game.

Howlett's West Liberty squads have routinely won 25 games a year and ranked among the Division II leaders in scoring, assists and turnover margin, including having averaged 100.2 points per game this past season. Howlett's teams famously run 'The System', which employs an up-tempo, full court pressure attack and has led to his .854 winning percentage as a head coach. His 2023 national runner-up team finished with a 33-4 record and his club went 30-5 this past season.

Since taking over as head coach prior to the 2017-18 campaign, his teams have averaged more than 27 wins per season and produced multiple All-Americans and Academic All-Americans.

"Coach Howlett's teams have been characterized by success on the court and in the classroom. The future is bright for IU Indianapolis Athletics with a new Indy-based R1 university, a sports arena under construction and a new coach focused on optimizing the academic and athletic culture for our student-athletes," IU President Pamela Whitten said.

"We are excited to welcome Coach Howlett to IU Indianapolis. His record and approach to coaching, as well as his focus on excellence both on and off the court, make him the right fit for the role and for our institution," IU Indianapolis Chancellor Latha Ramchand said.

"We're extremely excited to have Ben taking over the program. He's an incredible leader and incredible mentor and will challenge our student-athletes at every turn. He coaches an exciting, but disciplined brand of basketball," Bosso said. "He's intense, but his teams are incredibly connected, on and off the floor. I think Indianapolis and Central Indiana is ready to rally around our program and we're thrilled to have Ben as our head coach."

As a player, Howlett was an All-Region performer for Crutchfield at West Liberty from 2005-09 and the nation's fourth-leading scorer as a senior. He spent one season as a student assistant at West Liberty before moving to Ohio Valley University as an assistant for the 2010-11 season. He then returned to West Liberty as an assistant coach under Crutchfield, helping lead the Hilltoppers to six NCAA Tournament berths, five Sweet Sixteens, four Elite Eights, two Final Fours and the 2014 national championship game.

Having played and coached in Crutchfield's system, Howlett continued to build on the success as head coach, including posting an .886 winning percentage in conference games.

Howlett will immediately begin assembling his coaching staff and roster for the upcoming 2025-2026 season. Those interested in purchasing tickets for the upcoming season can do so by contacting Evan Cavanaugh at evcavana@iu.edu.