West Liberty University Athletics

   Former West Liberty men’s basketball standout Mike Lamberti has established himself as one of the nation’s top young assistant coaches as he tips off his fifth season as a key member of head coach Ben Howlett’s staff on the hilltop.
    Lamberti’s talents were recognized almost immediately when he was honored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) with a spot on the 2019 Under Armour 30-Under-30 Team of rising young coaches. That honor followed Lamberti’s first season on the staff when he helped lead WLU to a 2019 Mountain East Conference championship and NCAA Division II Sweet 16 run.
    The Hilltopper assistant has continued to build on that success with each succeeding year.
    The 2019-20 West Liberty team defended its MEC crown – the program’s 10^th league title in the last 11 seasons – and followed that up with an MEC Tournament championship. It marked the first regular-season and tournament sweep in MEC history. Those Hilltoppers led the nation in scoring for the third straight year, finished the season ranked in the Top 10 nationally and were preparing to host the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Tournament when the NCAA shut down the season due to COVID-19.
    West Liberty picked up where it had left off in the Mountain East Conference’s abbreviated 2021 schedule. The Hilltoppers won the MEC North Division title to earn the No. 1 seed in the MEC Tournament and were chosen to host the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Tournament. The WLU men swept their way to another regional title – highlighted by double-digit wins against nationally-ranked Charleston and Hillsdale (Mich.) – to earn yet another trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
    The 2021-22 season was yet another success story for Lamberti and the WLU men’s program. West Liberty rolled to a 29-3 record that included another MEC regular season and tournament sweep. The Hilltoppers finished the year ranked No. 2 in the nation, earned their NCAA Division II-best 12^th straight NCAA Tournament bid and won their fifth straight national scoring title.
    Lamberti played in 123 games at West Liberty from 2012-16, racking up more than 700 points and 400 rebounds while dishing out nearly 200 assists. The Hilltoppers had the best record in NCAA Division II (123-14, .898) during his four seasons, claiming four conference championships and a trio of NCAA Division II Atlantic Region crowns. They played in three NCAA Division II Elite Eight national championship tournaments – including a run to the 2014 NCAA Division II national championship game.
    Just as impressive in the classroom, Lamberti was honored as WLU’s Most Outstanding Finance Student when he graduated with a double-major in Finance and Accounting in 2016. He completed his master’s degree in the Science of Leadership at Embry-Riddle (Fla.) in May.
    The Western Pennsylvania native served two years as a graduate assistant at Embry-Riddle, helping the Eagles complete a successful transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II affiliation, before answering Howlett's call to return to his alma mater.
    Lamberti was a three-time all-stater at South Fayette (Pa.) High School, leading the Lions to the 2010 Pennsylvania state championship as a junior. He is the leading scorer in SFHS history with more than 1,700 career points.
              A native of McDonald, Pa., Lamberti is married to former West Liberty women’s basketball standout Emily Bucon. The couple welcomed their first child, Vincenzo, over the summer.