IU Indianapolis Hires West Liberty’s Ben Howlett As Hoops Coach

IU Indianapolis hired Ben Howlett away from Division II West Liberty (WV) to coach the men’s basketball program, the school announced Monday.

Howlett replaces Paul Corsaro, who was fired May 13 for what the university said was his treatment of players during his only season with the Jaguars.

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

🚨 OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL 🚨

Ben Howlett is the next HC of the @IUIndy_MBB program, coming from West Liberty.

Story—> https://t.co/qgBFuJ7gnL#HLMBB #LetsGoJags

— IU Indy Jaguars (@iuindy_jaguars) May 27, 2025

“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, and we can’t wait to get started.”

Howlett was 217-37 at West Liberty with eight straight Mountain East Conference regular-season titles and eight consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. His 2023 squad reached the Division II championship game, falling to his mentor Jim Crutchfield’s undefeated Nova Southeastern team in the title game.

IU Indianapolis Went 10-24 Overall Last Season

As an assistant coach for West Liberty under Crutchfield, Howlett helped lead the Hilltoppers to six NCAA Tournament berths, five Sweet Sixteens, four Elite Eights, two Final Fours, and the 2014 national championship game.

“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.

In addition, Howlett is a three-time MEC Coach of the Year, and he earned Atlantic District Coach of the Year honors this past season. West Liberty averaged 100.2 points per game last season and finished 30-5.

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

Howlett will immediately begin assembling his coaching staff and roster for the upcoming 2025-26 season. IU Indy finished 10-24 overall and 6-14 in the Horizon League last season.