Hank Plona Introduced as Next WKU Men’s Basketball Head Coach

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Wednesday afternoon, WKU men’s basketball officially introduced its 17th head coach in Diddle Arena.

A day after Hank Plona was named the next leader of WKU men’s hoops, he delivered his opening remarks to Hilltopper Nation.

Fans and players alike were in attendance as the next chapter of Tops basketball was opened.

During the press conference, WKU Athletic Director Todd Stewart and Plona shared their positive outlook on the future of the program:

“Hank is the perfect fit,” Stweart said, “he has been here for a season, knows the landscape, knows our program, and knows our people. We’re not doing this because it is the quickest solution. We’re not doing it because it’s the easiest solution. We’re doing it because it is the right solution for WKU basketball.”

“There’s a banner up there, and I guess I can kind of see it. It’s to your right, to my left, with all the NCAA tournament appearances,” Plona said, “and over in that right column, obviously, next time we all come in here and there’ll be a 2024 and obviously these young men in front of you, a great staff that I was blessed to be a part of, and coach Lutz were all a part of that. But I do notice there’s about three more blank spots in that right column before we need to add another banner up there. And I do think that that’s our goal. It is our goal to have continued success. It is our goal to continue to make the NCAA tournament. It is our goal to continue year after year to put teams in front of you that you are proud of. And again, as I started, I can’t wait to begin this journey with these guys that are right in front of you. We will work tirelessly every day. We will work together. We will be the best people that we can be wearing WKU red and black. And we hope to get started and we hope to start that journey right away.”

Watch the full press conference