Army West Point Athletics
Men's Basketball
Wilkins, Ben
Ben Wilkins
- Title:
- Assistant Men's Basketball Coach
- Phone:
- 4301
Ben Wilkins joined the Army West Point men’s basketball coaching staff in April 2016 and was promoted to associate head coach in July 2021 entering his sixth year with the program.
Since Wilkins joined the West Point coaching staff under Lee Anderson Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jimmy Allen in 2016, he has been apart of a staff that has compiled the most wins in their first four years at Army since Mike Krzyzewski.
After arriving on the banks of the Hudson, Wilkins has helped the men’s basketball program compile winning records over service academy rivals, Navy and Air Force. During his time on the staff, the Black Knights have recorded a 6-4 mark against the Mids, giving the Class of 2020 the most wins versus Navy in program history. Army has also taken three of the four matchups opposite Air Force since Wilkins joined the program.
In his role as defensive coordinator, Wilkins over saw a defense in 2020-21 that held opponents to the lowest points per game (69.5) since the 2012-13 season (68.1). Additionally, Wilkins helped develop Josh Caldwell's prowess in the backcourt that landed him Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year honors. The first Army honoree since 2009, Caldwell led the conference with 41 steals en route to landing a spot on the All-Defensive Team.
In 2019-20, Wilkins helped the Black Knights tie the program record for single season Patriot League wins (10). It marked just the second time in program history that an Army squad collected double-digit league wins and the first since the 2013-14 campaign. He also had a hand in Army’s program-long six-game Patriot League winning streak from Jan. 16 – Feb. 1.
During the 2019-20 campaign, Wilkins played a pivotal role in Army sweeping the Mids for the first time since the 2011-12 season and the third time ever since the two programs joined the Patriot League. In the Army-Navy Star Series game on Feb. 22, 2020, Wilkins and the Cadets earned the Star following an 86-75 overtime victory, marking the third-most points scored in a game versus Navy in 133 all-time meetings.
On Dec. 8, 2018, Wilkins played a role in Army’s thrilling come-from-behind win at Air Force. The Cadets trailed by 17 at the half before outscoring the Falcons, 43-21, in the final 20 minutes to secure the rivalry victory. That season was additionally highlighted by Army's finish as the top-rated defense in the Patriot League.
In his first season on the staff, Army earned one of its most impressive wins in Army-Navy Game history on Feb. 18, 2017, when the Black Knights erased a 25-point deficit in the final 13 minutes of play to capture a 71-68 victory in Annapolis, Md. The impressive win tied the largest comeback in NCAA Division I play that year and was the largest comeback in Army-Navy men’s basketball history.
Wilkins has additionally seen the Black Knights finish with a winning record at home in his four seasons on the staff. That includes the 2018-19 campaign in which Army collected 10 victories at Christl Arena, marking the first time that the Cadets captured double-digit wins at home since the 2009-10 season.
Wilkins has experienced several notable victories while on the staff, including the Black Knights’ 89-76 road victory over the two-time defending MAC regular season and tournament champs, Buffalo, on Dec. 14, 2020.
Wilkins also serves as the academic liaison for the program. The Black Knights have excelled in the classroom since Wilkins took over that role and the 2018-19 team posted the highest semester team GPA since the program started tracking team GPA’s.
He has an impressive track record of helping elevate programs. At his three previous schools, Wilkins has helped recruit one of the winningest classes in each school’s history. The 2017 Mount St. Mary’s graduating class was the first class to go to two NCAA Tournaments and had the second most wins in school history. The 2016 William & Mary class, where Wilkins was recruiting coordinator, graduated with the most wins in school history. Wilkins’ final recruiting class at Barton finished their careers with a 68-12 league record to go along with three regular season (school’s first ever) and tournament championships. The group advanced to the NCAA Division II tournament on three occasions and tallied an Elite Eight appearance in 2006 to go along with their 2007 national championship.
During Wilkins’ last two seasons at Mount St. Mary’s, they had the top-rated defense in the Northeast Conference (NEC). They were ranked in the top four of the NEC in defensive efficiency each of Wilkins four years with the team. Mount St. Mary’s defense was ranked in the top-20 nationally in turnover percentage during two of Wilkins' four years.
Outside of basketball, Wilkins was responsible for The Mount’s “Separation Seminar,” which was the team’s leadership seminar that focused on team building, goal setting and community service. For those efforts, Wilkins watched the men’s basketball team win The Mount Cup during three of his four years in Emmitsburg, Md. The Mount Cup is rewarded to the athletic program that excels in academics, athletics and community service.
Prior to Mount St. Mary’s, Wilkins spent six seasons on the staff at William and Mary under the direction of two-time Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year Tony Shaver. Wilkins was instrumental in implementing the offensive and defensive systems at William and Mary. His responsibilities there included scouting, scheduling, recruiting, individual skill work and development of the perimeter players.
Wilkins was part of the Tribe staff that saw one of the best four-year stretches in school history that culminated with a 22-win season and a berth in the National Invitational Tournament in 2010. As recruiting coordinator, Wilkins helped sign William and Mary’s only CAA Player of the Year (Marcus Thornton) and CAA Defensive Player of the Year (Terry Tarpey).
In his time as recruiting coordinator (2008-2012), the Tribe did not lose one player to transfer. The no transfers included both the players recruited and the current players. In total, the Tribe went eight seasons without a transfer.
Before joining the William and Mary team, Wilkins was the video coordinator at his alma mater, N.C. State. During the 2005-06 season, Wilkins was involved with various aspects of the Wolfpack program including film editing, player housing, player financial services and organizing a past player reunion. He also served as the liaison for sports marketing, handled office and player tickets and was an assistant camp director.
From 2003-05, Wilkins served as the first assistant and recruiting coordinator for Barton College in Wilson, N.C. During his time at Barton, Wilkins’ primary responsibilities centered around recruiting, scouting reports, both practice and in-game coaching, development of the perimeter players and film exchange.
He graduated Magna Cum Laude from N.C. State in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in History. As an undergraduate, he served as the Wolfpack’s team manager. During his time there, the program included future head coaches Sean Miller, Archie Miller, John Groce and Mark Phelps.
Wilkins and his wife Lisa have a daughter, Brooke and a son, Parker. In his spare time, Wilkins is an avid reader focusing mainly on leadership, personal development and autobiography books. He also enjoys running and spending time with his family and friends.
Since Wilkins joined the West Point coaching staff under Lee Anderson Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jimmy Allen in 2016, he has been apart of a staff that has compiled the most wins in their first four years at Army since Mike Krzyzewski.
After arriving on the banks of the Hudson, Wilkins has helped the men’s basketball program compile winning records over service academy rivals, Navy and Air Force. During his time on the staff, the Black Knights have recorded a 6-4 mark against the Mids, giving the Class of 2020 the most wins versus Navy in program history. Army has also taken three of the four matchups opposite Air Force since Wilkins joined the program.
In his role as defensive coordinator, Wilkins over saw a defense in 2020-21 that held opponents to the lowest points per game (69.5) since the 2012-13 season (68.1). Additionally, Wilkins helped develop Josh Caldwell's prowess in the backcourt that landed him Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year honors. The first Army honoree since 2009, Caldwell led the conference with 41 steals en route to landing a spot on the All-Defensive Team.
In 2019-20, Wilkins helped the Black Knights tie the program record for single season Patriot League wins (10). It marked just the second time in program history that an Army squad collected double-digit league wins and the first since the 2013-14 campaign. He also had a hand in Army’s program-long six-game Patriot League winning streak from Jan. 16 – Feb. 1.
During the 2019-20 campaign, Wilkins played a pivotal role in Army sweeping the Mids for the first time since the 2011-12 season and the third time ever since the two programs joined the Patriot League. In the Army-Navy Star Series game on Feb. 22, 2020, Wilkins and the Cadets earned the Star following an 86-75 overtime victory, marking the third-most points scored in a game versus Navy in 133 all-time meetings.
On Dec. 8, 2018, Wilkins played a role in Army’s thrilling come-from-behind win at Air Force. The Cadets trailed by 17 at the half before outscoring the Falcons, 43-21, in the final 20 minutes to secure the rivalry victory. That season was additionally highlighted by Army's finish as the top-rated defense in the Patriot League.
In his first season on the staff, Army earned one of its most impressive wins in Army-Navy Game history on Feb. 18, 2017, when the Black Knights erased a 25-point deficit in the final 13 minutes of play to capture a 71-68 victory in Annapolis, Md. The impressive win tied the largest comeback in NCAA Division I play that year and was the largest comeback in Army-Navy men’s basketball history.
Wilkins has additionally seen the Black Knights finish with a winning record at home in his four seasons on the staff. That includes the 2018-19 campaign in which Army collected 10 victories at Christl Arena, marking the first time that the Cadets captured double-digit wins at home since the 2009-10 season.
Wilkins has experienced several notable victories while on the staff, including the Black Knights’ 89-76 road victory over the two-time defending MAC regular season and tournament champs, Buffalo, on Dec. 14, 2020.
Wilkins also serves as the academic liaison for the program. The Black Knights have excelled in the classroom since Wilkins took over that role and the 2018-19 team posted the highest semester team GPA since the program started tracking team GPA’s.
He has an impressive track record of helping elevate programs. At his three previous schools, Wilkins has helped recruit one of the winningest classes in each school’s history. The 2017 Mount St. Mary’s graduating class was the first class to go to two NCAA Tournaments and had the second most wins in school history. The 2016 William & Mary class, where Wilkins was recruiting coordinator, graduated with the most wins in school history. Wilkins’ final recruiting class at Barton finished their careers with a 68-12 league record to go along with three regular season (school’s first ever) and tournament championships. The group advanced to the NCAA Division II tournament on three occasions and tallied an Elite Eight appearance in 2006 to go along with their 2007 national championship.
During Wilkins’ last two seasons at Mount St. Mary’s, they had the top-rated defense in the Northeast Conference (NEC). They were ranked in the top four of the NEC in defensive efficiency each of Wilkins four years with the team. Mount St. Mary’s defense was ranked in the top-20 nationally in turnover percentage during two of Wilkins' four years.
Outside of basketball, Wilkins was responsible for The Mount’s “Separation Seminar,” which was the team’s leadership seminar that focused on team building, goal setting and community service. For those efforts, Wilkins watched the men’s basketball team win The Mount Cup during three of his four years in Emmitsburg, Md. The Mount Cup is rewarded to the athletic program that excels in academics, athletics and community service.
Prior to Mount St. Mary’s, Wilkins spent six seasons on the staff at William and Mary under the direction of two-time Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year Tony Shaver. Wilkins was instrumental in implementing the offensive and defensive systems at William and Mary. His responsibilities there included scouting, scheduling, recruiting, individual skill work and development of the perimeter players.
Wilkins was part of the Tribe staff that saw one of the best four-year stretches in school history that culminated with a 22-win season and a berth in the National Invitational Tournament in 2010. As recruiting coordinator, Wilkins helped sign William and Mary’s only CAA Player of the Year (Marcus Thornton) and CAA Defensive Player of the Year (Terry Tarpey).
In his time as recruiting coordinator (2008-2012), the Tribe did not lose one player to transfer. The no transfers included both the players recruited and the current players. In total, the Tribe went eight seasons without a transfer.
Before joining the William and Mary team, Wilkins was the video coordinator at his alma mater, N.C. State. During the 2005-06 season, Wilkins was involved with various aspects of the Wolfpack program including film editing, player housing, player financial services and organizing a past player reunion. He also served as the liaison for sports marketing, handled office and player tickets and was an assistant camp director.
From 2003-05, Wilkins served as the first assistant and recruiting coordinator for Barton College in Wilson, N.C. During his time at Barton, Wilkins’ primary responsibilities centered around recruiting, scouting reports, both practice and in-game coaching, development of the perimeter players and film exchange.
He graduated Magna Cum Laude from N.C. State in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in History. As an undergraduate, he served as the Wolfpack’s team manager. During his time there, the program included future head coaches Sean Miller, Archie Miller, John Groce and Mark Phelps.
Wilkins and his wife Lisa have a daughter, Brooke and a son, Parker. In his spare time, Wilkins is an avid reader focusing mainly on leadership, personal development and autobiography books. He also enjoys running and spending time with his family and friends.
vs. Air Force
Saturday, December 08
vs. UMass Lowell (Audio Only)
Saturday, November 17
