WEST LIBERTY — It didn’t take the search committee long to find a replacement for Ben Howlett when he decided to leave West Liberty as the men’s basketball coach for the same position at the University of Indianapolis.

The committee hired one of its own in Michael Lamberti who has played and coached at the Route 88 school. He returns to lead the program he has helped shape for nearly a decade.

“It’s pretty exciting to be honest. This place, obviously, means a lot to me being a former player and then working five years as an assistant coach,” he said Wednesday inside his office in the ASRC. “To come back with the title as head coach is exciting, but also a daunting task to follow the guys I’m following. To be back home and trying to keep this program rolling is exciting for me, my family and my career path.”

Lamberti brings valuable head coaching experience from his recent tenure at NCAA Division II Coker University in South Carolina. Under his leadership, the team reached several program milestones, including setting a new school record by averaging 100.1 points per game–ranking third nationally–and posting single-game records for points scored (120 vs. Mars Hill) and three-pointers made (19 vs. Newberry).

A Hilltopper through and through, Lamberti previously served as lead assistant coach under Ben Howlett, playing a vital role in one of the most successful periods in program history. During his time on staff, West Liberty compiled a remarkable 135–21 record, captured multiple Mountain East Conference regular-season and tournament championships, and made several deep NCAA Division II Tournament runs, culminating in a national championship appearance in 2023.

“Ben has had a huge influence on my career even though I wasn’t recruited by him,” Lamberti explained. “I was recruited by (then-assistant) Eric Bovaird. During the summer after my high school career was over, Eric got the head coaching job at Chaminade (Hawaii). Coach Howlett got hired prior to my freshman year in college. His first day on the job was my first day on campus as part of the Summer Basketball Camp that has been going on here for 20-25 years now.

“We met and kind of hit it off right from the start,” Lamberti recalled. “Just seeing how he operated every day. In his younger days he would practice with us, so I learned a lot of playing circumstances from him. I used to pick his brain a lot on the van or bus trips up and down the hill (Route 88) to wherever we were going to play. Having those conversations with him inspired me to see if I could get into college coaching. It seemed like a fun way, not only to live life, but to make a living at it, as well.”

The last month has been a whirlwind, not only for Lamberti, but his wife and family.

“My wife, myself and our 3-year-old boy are down there in Hartsville, S.C.. It’s coming up on our two-year anniversary. My wife gave birth to our second child on May 31. Two days later, I got a call from West Liberty offering me the job. Trying to figure out all the logistics hasn’t been fun, but that’s a good problem to have.”

With Lamberti at the helm, the Hilltoppers look to continue their tradition of excellence as one of NCAA Division II’s premier basketball programs with its up-tempo offense and full court pressure defense.

“I’ve played it. I’ve coached it and I’m very highly invested in it. I’m not going to change anything,” he added. “The fans have grown accustomed to this style. We want to keep raising banners here.”

The Hilltoppers will return just two players from last year’s squad — Cooper Kent and Dante Spadafora. There are three freshmen who were signed early that are still coming. They are Aiden Davis, Myles Montgomery and Cameron Williams.

“Those five are all onboard and we’ll have some transfers from Coker,” Lamberti said without naming names due to signing rules. “The majority of our roster at Coker will be playing here, though. We have also signed two dudes out of the portal — one a guard and the other is a big.”

Lamberti said that veteran assistant coach Aaron Huffman will return to the staff. He is still waiting for word on Bryce Butler’s return. He said by this time next week the staff will be in place.

“First, and foremost, I’d like to thank my family. My dad, Vince, is no longer with us but he inspired me to go after the game of basketball at a very, very young age and I fell in love with it. He would always say ‘figure out what you love and use that to make money. That was sports and eventually basketball.

Lamberti also praised his wife, Emily (Bucon) — a West Liberty alum and former women’s basketball standout.

“She has gone everywhere I’ve taken her on this journey. We’ve been to Daytona Beach, Fla. (Embry-Riddle), West Liberty and Hartsville, S.C.,” he said. “She has never questioned or second-guessed any decision that I’ve made. She’s been a rock in supporting our family.”

The Lamberti’s reside in Wheeling with their son, Enzo, and daughter, Francesca.