Mt. Pleasant native Ben Wilkins named Seton Hill men's basketball coach

Former Westmoreland County resident Ben Wilkins is primed to take over the Seton Hill men’s basketball program.

He was announced Tuesday as the new coach, replacing Kendrick Saunders, who was not retained after three seasons and a record of 3-24.

Wilkins, an assistant at Army for the last six seasons, sees the move as a fresh challenge as well as a chance to get reacquainted with the area.

“My family and I are thrilled to be joining the Seton Hill community,” Wilkins said in a news release. “Growing up in Mt. Pleasant, it is exciting to come back home to Western Pennsylvania. Our program will chase excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community. I cannot wait to get into the gym to work with our players.”

It has been an amazing 6 years at West Point! Lucky to have been impacted by so many incredible people. Family and I are super excited for our new adventure. Look forward to getting to work! https://t.co/4rtAoD8Hbb

— Ben Wilkins (@CoachBenWilkins) April 19, 2022

An associate head coach at Army for a year, Wilkins oversaw the defensive side of the game.

“In a very deep and talented applicant pool, coach Wilkins emerged as the best candidate to lead our program,” Seton Hill athletic director Chris Snyder said. “Coach Wilkins is a proven recruiter, an excellent teacher of the game and a proven relationship builder. I look forward to working with him as he develops and grows our program.”

Wilkins also spent four seasons as an assistant at Mount St. Mary’s, was an assistant at William & Mary for six years, worked as video coordinator at North Carolina State, his alma mater, for a year and spent one season as an assistant at Barton.