Western Kentucky University Men's Basketball

For media inquiries, please contact Jack Todd at jack.todd@wku.edu. Hank Plona was named Western Kentucky University's 17th Head Men's Basketball Coach on Ap...

Aaron Davis was hired as a WKU Men's Basketball Graduate Assistant in June of 2025. Davis graduated from Farmingdale State College in 2024 with a bachelor's ...

Devontae Lane was hired as a WKU Men's Basketball Graduate Assistant in August of 2024. Lane graduated from Central Michigan, earning a bachelor’s degree in ...

Duane Hall is in his 16th year as WKU’s Director of Strength and Conditioning and his 10th season as the head men's basketball strength and conditioning coach. Hall has been a member of WKU’s strength and conditioning staff for 31 years, and during his time on The Hill he has worked with every sport at one time or another. Hall currently oversees a staff of strength and conditioning coaches that works with WKU’s 16 varsity sports. Hall has helped coach 31 WKU teams that have won conference championships, most recently the 2025 baseball team that took home the Conference USA Tournament title. Hall earned his degree in physical education from WKU in 1996, and he finished his master’s degree at WKU in 2006. Hall is certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). Hall is married to former Lady Topper track and field standout Laura Wesseling, and the couple has three sons, Darian, Dawson and Daxton. His son Dawson is a senior on the WKU Baseball team.

Eric Murphy was hired to the WKU Men's Basketball coaching staff as an assistant coach prior to the 2024-25 season. He previously served as head coach at Flo...

Josh Newman was hired to the WKU Men's Basketball coaching staff as an assistant coach prior to the 2024-25 season. Newman came to WKU following a stint at U...

Martin Cross, a 2015 WKU graduate, enters his 12th season with the Hilltopper Basketball staff and fifth as an Assistant Coach. Over his many years on The Hi...

Nate Laing enters his second season on The Hill after being hired to the WKU Men's Basketball coaching staff as an Assistant Coach prior to the 2025-26 seaso...

Wyatt Battaile enters his fourth season with the WKU men's basketball program and second season as an Assistant Coach having been promoted to a full-time position as Director of Player Development and Video in summer 2024. Battaile previously served as a Graduate Assistant on the staff for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. Battaile’s duties have included assisting with the day-to-day operations of the program, assisting with all practices, workouts and games, processing practice and game film, and creating general and customized recruiting material. He also specializes in player development. Battaile played his freshman year at the University of Louisville prior to playing at Kentucky Wesleyan for three seasons. He was named a two-time all-conference member in his time with the Panthers. Battaile was a four-year member of the football and basketball teams at Pikeville High School, earning all-state honors in both sports. Battaile graduated with his bachelor's degree from Kentucky Wesleyan in 2022 and is earned his master’s degree in Recreation and Sport Administration with a concentration in Intercollegiate Athletic Administration in 2024. Battaile originally hails from Pikeville, Kentucky. He resides in Bowling Green.