Men's Basketball | 6/1/2020 8:01:00 AM

    WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – Fresh off his third straight Mountain East Conference championship and NCAA Division II national scoring title, West Liberty University head coach Ben Howlett isn't resting on his laurels as he heads into his fourth year at the Hilltopper helm.
    Howlett announced today that he has added another promising weapon to the high-powered Hilltopper arsenal with the signing of Ben Sarson, a multi-skilled 6-6 wing from Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh.
    "Ben is a great fit for our program," Howlett said. "He's a versatile guy with the length and athleticism to play and defend multiple positions. He's a good perimeter shooter but can put the ball on the floor and finish at the rim. The fact that he's also an outstanding student and a quality young man just completes the package."
    Sarson earned WPIAL Class 6A All-Section honors as a junior despite playing on a youthful Central Catholic squad that won just five games all year and repeated that honor as a senior while helping lead the Vikings back into post-season contention.
    The newest Hilltopper averaged a double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds) in his final season. He led Central Catholic to the WPIAL Class 6A semifinals for the first time in nearly a decade, scoring a game-high 21 points to knock off No. 2 seed Fox Chapel in the quarterfinals before falling to No. 3 seed Mount Lebanon in the semis.
    Sarson had numerous big games throughout his senior season, highlighted by a 42-point, 15-rebound night in a 79-67 loss to Butler High School. The Vikings also earned a spot in the PIAA state playoffs but were eliminated in the opening round.
    A team captain on the court, Sarson also excelled in the classroom where he was a High Honor Roll student and a member of the National Business Honors Society.
    Sarson hails from an athletic family as his father, Adam, was an NCAA Division I basketball player at Duquesne in the late 1980s.
    "Ben had an outstanding high school career and hasn't even scratched the surface yet with his talent level," Howlett said. "We're convinced his best basketball is still ahead of him and we're really looking forward to seeing that happen at West Liberty."