‘A full-circle moment’: Wierzba leaves Miami turnaround to lead Evansville women's basketball program

The moment the job became real, Ben Wierzba didn’t think about the title.

He felt it.

“Very emotional,” Wierzba said. “It’s one of those things you work so hard for. There are only so many Division I jobs out there, and to have this opportunity — it means everything.”

Fresh off helping power one of the Mid-American Conference’s top turnarounds at Miami, Wierzba is now the 12th head coach in University of Evansville women’s basketball history — a full-circle return to a place that shaped both his career and his life.

A public introduction is scheduled for April 24 at Meeks Family Fieldhouse.

'A full-circle moment'

Long before the championships and postseason runs, Evansville was where Wierzba’s journey began to take shape.

It’s where he met his wife, Liz. It’s where he spent three seasons as an assistant. And it’s where the idea of building a program first took hold.

“The cool thing about Evansville is, it’s where my wife and I met 15-plus years ago,” Wierzba said. “So it’s kind of like a full-circle moment going back there. I’ve got a lot of pride for Evansville.”

That connection runs deeper than a single stop on his résumé.

Wierzba worked under and alongside multiple coaches with ties to the men's program — including Jim Crews and Marty Simmons — relationships that helped shape his understanding of what Evansville basketball represents.

“I worked for three different people that either played or coached at Evansville,” Wierzba said. “So that pride, that passion — it just kind of rubbed off on me.”

Even as the campus and program have evolved over the years, that feeling never left.

When I got into the process, it just felt like home,” Wierzba said. “Things have changed, but that passion and pride for that place — it just got even more energized in me.”

Built on a winning foundation

Wierzba arrives in Evansville after three seasons at Miami University, where he served as associate head coach under Glenn Box and helped guide one of the MAC’s most successful runs in recent history.

The RedHawks went 56-39 during his tenure, including a 28-7 mark in 2025-26, when they captured MAC regular-season and tournament titles and earned an NCAA Tournament berth as a No. 13 seed.

That season followed a 10-win improvement and a WNIT appearance the year before — a steady climb that reflected both belief and buy-in.

“Box has been great,” Wierzba said. “I always knew if he got a job, he was going to call me. He took that job on a Tuesday, and I was there the following Monday. I wanted to get there as fast as I could to help him build it.”

The payoff came in moments that defined the program’s rise.

“When we won the regular-season championship at home and just sat there and watched everybody celebrate, it was like, man — this is what we worked so hard for,” Wierzba said. “Then to see them play in the NCAA Tournament — that’s what it’s all about.”