Anderson University

Ben Thompson, a former Emory & Henry Head Coach, was named the Trojans' head coach on May 14th, 2026, becoming the sixth head coach in program history since AU became a four-year institution in 1995.

"We are so excited to welcome Coach Thompson and his family to Anderson," added Epting. "He brings great experience, great faith, and great energy to a program that continues to build its relevance on the national stage. We can't wait for Coach Thompson to get started and look forward to seeing him lead Trojans basketball for many years to come. Go Trojans!" 

Thompson arrives at Anderson with a coaching career that spans nearly every level of collegiate basketball. As a Head Coach, he spent almost eight years leading programs at SUNY Canton (Canton, N.Y.) and Emory & Henry University (Emory, Va.), where he compiled a record that includes multiple conference championships, national rankings, and historic program milestones—often accomplished with far fewer resources than his competitors. 

At SUNY Canton, Thompson guided the program through a pivotal transition to NCAA Division III while simultaneously transforming its culture and competitive standing. In his very first full season (2016–17), he led the Kangaroos to an undefeated ACAA Conference record and the program's first-ever conference championship—along with its first-ever NCAA-sponsored postseason berth and postseason victory. The following season, his squad ranked 1st in the nation in blocks per game and set program records in fan attendance (565 per game), team GPA (3.04 and 3.11 in back-to-back semesters), and fundraising—more than doubling any previous fiscal year. 

Thompson carried that momentum to Emory & Henry University in the spring of 2019, where he engineered the largest single-season turnaround in program history (+14 wins) and led the Wasps to their first-ever votes in the Division II Top 25 national poll. His teams finished top 10 nationally in multiple offensive categories, including 6th in assists per game (18.2), 6th in offensive rebounds per game (14.27), and 7th in scoring (88.1 points per game). He also boosted the team GPA from 2.4 upon arrival to an impressive 3.59 and set both fundraising and community service records during his tenure. 

Before becoming a head coach, Thompson served as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Lincoln Memorial University (Harrogate, Tenn.) in 2015–16, where he was part of one of the most dominant teams in recent Division II history. That squad finished 34-3 overall with a perfect 22-0 conference record—the first team in SAC history to go undefeated in conference play—before advancing all the way to the NCAA Division II National Championship game. The Railsplitters led the nation in three-point percentage (44.6%) and ranked 1st in the NABC Coaches Poll for 89 consecutive weeks, the second-longest streak in NCAA history. 

In the summer of 2018, Thompson was selected to serve as Head Coach of the USA Basketball Division III Select Team on their Brazil Tour—leading Team USA to an undefeated record (5-0), the first team in tour history to accomplish the feat, with an average margin of victory of 33.6 points per game. 

Thompson graduated from Virginia Tech in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in Interdiciplinary Studies before completing his Masters of Science in Physical Education with a focus on sports promotion in 2007.