With the men’s basketball season underway, not only is there an entirely new roster, but a new head coach as well. Ben Howlett has become the 12 head coach for the men’s basketball team.
“We are excited to have Coach Howlett here at IU Indy,” said Luke Bosso, IU Indy’s athletic director.
Coming from a successful season at West Liberty University, where Howlett led the Hilltoppers to a 217-37 record along eight seasons, he is coming to IU Indy with the mindset of turning the culture of the team.
“I’ve always been in a program before where we were always at the top of the mountain. Now we [IU Indy] haven’t had a winning season since 2011 and I’ve always wanted to flip a culture and now [I get to] do that,” Howlett said.
Howlett brings to IU Indy an offense called the System. It was started by Nova Eastern’s coach and Howlett’s mentor Jim Crutchfield. The System has the players full court pressing each possession, whether the opposing team makes or misses a basket. It not only has an emphasis on defense, but also on scoring.
“Coach Howlett’s team last year at West Liberty would have led division one in shot attempts and took about 800 more shots than we did in our team last year,” Bosso said.
This year’s team consists of 15 players from West Liberty and Indianapolis. Four players who played for Howlett last year transferred and two who were committed to play at West Liberty for Howlett also transferred. Four players were signed to play for IU Indy last year and one player from last year's roster stayed.
As for what can be seen for the team this season, Howlett says to expect a very “up-tempo” style of game.
“I think it’s a very aggressive style play and it’s a fan friendly style play because we score a lot of points and there’s a lot of action within our games,” Howlett said.“I also think they can expect good guys on the team. Not just good players, but also just good people off the court and truly important to me.”
While not a big goal person, Howlett does want the team to be able to play a different style of play. He hopes that when they go to the conference tournament, they’ll have a chance to win it.
“There’s going to be growing pains. There’s going to be because we’re doing something completely different than previous [years],” Howlett said. “But that’s what makes your season special, and if you can get through those…then I’ll feel good, like we’ve accomplished something as a coach.”
IU Indy will play their home opener against Long Island University on Nov. 6 at 6:30 p.m.
Nevaeh Hite is a freshman majoring in psychology and minoring in criminal justice and criminology. She is a writer and part of the social media team for the Campus Citizen. In her free time, Nevaeh likes to read, color, go outside, play sports, watch true crime, and watch tv shows that she has seen 100 times already.
Season opener win: Jaguars fight to the end
By Regina Graves | Nov. 25The Jaguars tipped off the first game of the 2025-26 season with a thrilling 64-61 victory over Indiana State on Nov. 3. In a game that kept fans on their feet until the final buzzer, the Jaguars proved that they were not only prepared for the upcoming season, but ready to make a statement.
IU Indianapolis men’s basketball falls short in home opener thriller
By Citlali Sanchez | Nov. 12After losing their season opener against Ohio State (118-102) on Nov. 3, the Jaguars were IU Indy Athletics looking to get their first win of the season on Nov. 6 at home against preseason top team in the Northeast Conference, Long Island University (LIU).
IU Indy men’s soccer falls to Northern Illinois University in home opener
By Citlali Sanchez | Sept. 19On the evening of Sept. 9, the Jags opened their home season under the ideal weather conditions for soccer. The sun shone down on the pitch while a gentle breeze swept across the field. Though the team lost 2-1 in a hard-fought match, chatter and laughter could be heard from the stands as fans enjoyed both the competitive game and the beautiful evening.
