RICHMOND, Ky. – Ben Veshi, who won 80% of his games as head coach of the Hargrave Military Academy prep basketball team, will join the Eastern Kentucky University men's basketball program as an assistant coach.
 
In three seasons as the head coach of Hargrave's prep team, Veshi compiled a record of 109-27 (.801), won the 2025-26 Elite Prep League Championship and made three National Prep Championship Tournament appearances.  His 2024-25 team finished No. 16 in the national rankings.  His 2025-26 squad went 40-7 and finished the season ranked No. 9 in the nation.
 
Veshi spent 10 seasons as Hargrave.  As head coach of the varsity team from 2016 to 2020 he had a record of 75-32 (.701), set the program record for wins in a season and made four straight Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) Elite Eight appearances.  Veshi served as an assistant coach for the prep team at Hargrave while also serving as head coach of the varsity squad.  After the 2019-20 season, he worked exclusively with the prep team as an assistant and associate head coach until taking over as head coach in 2023.
 
"Ben is someone I've known for a long time, and I have a great deal of respect for him," EKU Head Coach A.W. Hamilton said.  "He's a relentless worker and an elite relationship builder.  What he's done at Hargrave is extremely impressive – developing players, recruiting at an extremely high level and winning championships year after year.  Ben has a strong reputation in this profession and is very connected in grassroots basketball.  I'm very excited to have him, his wife Katrina and their daughter Kailyn join our basketball family."
 
In his 10 seasons at Hargrave, Veshi was part of recruiting, developing and coaching more than 90 future NCAA Division I basketball players.
 
As the prep program head coach, Veshi was responsible for all facets of running the day-to-day operations of all four basketball programs.  He recruited potential student-athletes, both on and off campus, including on-court workouts.  In addition to his coaching roles, Veshi served as a college counselor at Hargrave from 2017 to 2022 and as Hargrave's athletic director from 2020 to 2023.
 
Prior to beginning his tenure at Hargrave, Veshi was an assistant coach at his alma mater, Catawba College, from 2014 to 2016. 
 
The Webster, Massachusetts native has three degrees.  He earned a bachelor's of science in sport management at Catawba in 2013, a master's of business administration from Nichols College in 2015 and a master's of sport administration from Arkansas State in 2021.