University of Illinois Springfield Athletics

Ben Wierzba is in his fourth season as the head men’s basketball coach at Illinois Springfield. 
 
The 2011-12 season saw the Prairie Stars win 12 Great Lakes Valley Conference games and 15 overall as UIS made its first-ever  GLVC Tournament appearence. UIS was one of the hottest teams in the country down the stretch winning 11 out of its last 16 games. Under Wierzba, the Praire Stars had their first NCAA all-region honoree in Michael Fakuade. Fakuade and Jermaine Love-Roberts were both first team All-GLVC picks and Fakuade was joined on the league's All-Defensive team by West Dawson.
 
In his first year at the helm of the Prairie Stars, Wierzba's squad won eight contests including four in the GLVC. Individually he coached third team all-conference honoree Michael Fakuade who was in the top five of the nation in blocks and rebounds.

Wierzba came to UIS after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville under head coach Marty Simmons. Prior to joining the Aces, Wierzba spent a season working for Simmons at the University of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville as a member of the GLVC.
 
Before making the move to SIU-Edwardsville, Wierzba coached at GLVC member Lewis University for two seasons under head coach Kyle Green.
 
Wierzba’s first foray into NCAA Division I was two seasons as the Director of Basketball Operations at the United States Military Academy in West Point where he worked under Head Coach Jim Crews from 2002-04. His first full-time assistant coaching position came at GLVC member St. Joseph’s College from 2001-02 where coached for one season.
 
Wierzba served as a graduate assistant coach at then-Division II power the University of North Dakota for a season (2000-01) and was a student assistant coach at SIU-Edwardsville (1999-2000) after his playing career concluded.
 
As a player, Wierzba was an All-GLVC selection as a senior at SIU-Edwardsville after spending his junior season at the University of South Alabama where he helped his team to the NCAA Tournament. Wierzba started his college playing career at Lake Land College where he earned All-Region honors. As a prep, Wierzba was a standout at Farmington High School and was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches’ Hall of Fame for his efforts on the court.
 
As a player, Ben was a member of South Alabama’s 1998 NCAA Tournament team. He transferred to SIU-Edwardsville and was all-Great Lakes Valley Conference in 1999. Coach Wierzba served as a student assistant coach there in 2000 and later coached at the University of North Dakota, Saint Joseph’s College and Lewis University before joining Coach Crews’ staff at West Point.
 
Wierzba comes from a basketball family. His father, Tom, retired as head coach at Farmington High School and is a member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Wierzba’s younger brother, Rhet, served two years as director of basketball operations at the University of Evansville, coached at the University of Maryland and is now an assistant coach at Indiana State.
 
Wierzba graduated from Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in 2000 and married the former Liz McMurray in August 2011. The couple welcomed a baby girl, Addison, on October 11, 2012.