High Point University Athletics

Ben Fletcher joined the Panthers in 2025-26 after spending the past two seasons at the University of South Florida while offering 20 years of coaching experience.

Fletcher was a part of HPU’s 2026 NCAA Tournament run. As the 12-seed, HPU made history with its first-ever tournament win, with an upset over No. 5 seed Wisconsin, 83-82 to make the Round of 32. The Panthers hoisted the Big South championship trophy and cut down the nets for the second time in program history and become the first Big South team to win back-to-back tournament championships since Winthrop from 2019-21. HPU finished the season with a Big South and program record, 31-5, breaking the program and conference record of 29 wins set by High Point last season and Winthrop in 2006-07. The Panthers collected their third straight Big South Regular-Season title and No. 1 seed entering the Big South Tournament after setting a new program record in league play going 15-1. 

Fletcher played an intricate role in the development of the Panthers defense. HPU finished the season with a 101.3 raw KenPom defensive rating which ranked 37th overall. The Panthers ranked No. 1 in steals per game and points differential, and No. 2 in turnover differential nationally.
 
High Point finished the season 3rd in the CollegeInsider Mid-Major Top 25 poll -- highest placement in program history -- and have been in the poll for 56 consecutive weeks making for the longest streak in Big South program history. HPU also ranked in the Field of 68 mid-major rankings, finishing 7th at the end of the season. In the final weeks of the season, High Point was receiving votes in the Associate Press poll and received as many as 14 votes on March 15, the most ever by a Panthers team.

During the 2025-26 season, Fletcher was awarded the 2026 NABC Guardians of the Game award for Leadership. In 2024-25, Fletcher assumed the role of interim head coach at South Florida following the unexpected passing of Amir Abdur-Rahim just weeks before the Bulls' first scheduled game. Fletcher helped South Florida's players, staff and campus community navigate the tragic circumstances while continuing to provide strong on-court leadership and skill development.

As the interim Head Coach, South Florida finished the 2024-25 season with a 13-19 overall record and a 6-12 record in league play. Two players were named to the All-AAC Teams.
 
Fletcher, who served as assistant head coach during the 2023-24 season, was promoted to associate head coach in June 2024. He brings a wealth of coaching experience, mentorship, and a steadfast commitment to the men's basketball program both on and off the court. Known for his dedication to player development, Coach Fletcher was instrumental in guiding the Bulls to success last season.
 
During the 2023-24 season, USF saw an incredible transformation, with a focus on competitive excellence, community engagement, and the development of a strong team culture. The Bulls compiled a 25-8 record and won their first regular-season conference championship. They were also ranked in the top 25 for the first time in program history.
 
Prior to his time at USF, Fletcher spent four seasons as an assistant coach under Abdur-Rahim during their rebuild at Kennesaw State that saw the Owls go from one win in 2019-20 to a school-record 26 wins in 2022-23 and the program’s first Division I NCAA Tournament appearance. 
 
At Kennesaw State (2019-23), Fletcher helped guide the Owls to the fastest turnaround from a one-win team to an NCAA Tournament team, accomplishing the feat in just three seasons. Kennesaw State posted a 26-9 record in 2022-23, won the ASUN regular season and tournament championships, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. It marked the Owls’ first winning record as an NCAA Division I program and first ASUN conference titles.
 
Kennesaw State was picked to finish eighth in the ASUN preseason poll but tallied a 15-3 league record. KSU’s 15 conference wins were five more than the program’s previous record of 10, while the Owls tied for fourth in the nation with 10 road wins, four more than the 2016-17 team’s program record of six.
 
The Owls went on to post three wins in the conference tournament, downing Liberty (67-66) in the final to earn the tournament title and automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Tournament, the program’s first-ever. KSU scored 75.0 points per game and shot 46.1 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from three to nearly double the program’s previous high wins mark in Division I. The 14th-seeded Owls took No. 3-seed Xavier to the limit in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, nearly pulling off the first-round upset in what was a one-point game in the final seconds before eventually falling 72-67. 
 
Star guard Chris Youngblood was named a first-team All-Conference and All-District selection and became the first KSU player to be named Georgia Men’s Player of the Year by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Meanwhile, guard Terrell Burden earned second-team All-Conference and All-District honors, marking the first time in program history the Owls received district accolades of any kind. Further, Brandon Stroud was named the ASUN Defensive Player of the Year.
 
Prior to Kennesaw State, Fletcher spent 14 seasons as an assistant coach at Troy University (2005-19).
 
The 2016-17 season was one of the most successful in Troy’s history. The Trojans had their most wins (22) since the 2003-04 season, and the largest wins improvement in program history (9 wins in 2015-16). Troy won the Sun Belt tournament championship that season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Fletcher was instrumental in the Trojans’ rise in the Sun Belt Conference, culminating in Troy’s first Sun Belt title in 2010 and second straight postseason berth. He helped guide the Trojans to a 14-4 league record during the 2008-09 campaign, highlighted by wins over every member of the Sun Belt Conference, the only team to accomplish the feat that year.
 
After playing in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) in 2009, the Trojans went on to win the Sun Belt regular season championship in 2009-10 and a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) berth.
 
Under Fletcher’s guidance in 2013-14, Hunter Williams made 98 3-pointers, setting the Troy single-season record, which was previously held by Fletcher.
 
Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Fletcher was one of the greatest players in Troy’s Division I history. Fletcher played for the Trojans from 2001-03, averaging 13.4 points per game during his career.
 
He was named first-team All-Atlantic Sun his senior year (2002-03), helping the Trojans to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance at the Division I level. During that season, he made a Troy Division I single-season record 92 three-pointers, eventually broken by Hunter Williams, who was coached by Fletcher. Fletcher finished his career with 160 made three-pointers, the sixth most in Troy’s Division I history.
 
Fletcher earned a B.S. in sport and fitness management from Troy in 2003. He served as a student assistant at Troy for two seasons before being named assistant coach in 2005.
 
Originally from Selma, Ala., Fletcher has the distinction of being a member of both Trojan squads that reached the NCAA Tournament, first as a player on the 2002-03 team and then as a coach with the 2016-17 team.

COACHING HISTORY
2025-26             High Point (Assistant Coach)
2024-25             South Florida (Interim Head Coach)
2023-24             South Florida (Assistant Coach)
2019-23             Kennesaw State (Assistant Coach)
2005-19             Troy University (Assistant Coach)