Western Colorado University has found its next leader of the Mountaineer men’s basketball program. Michael Lamberti was announced as the head coach on Monday afternoon by Director of Athletics Miles Van Hee.
Lamberti — named to the 2019 Under Armour 30-Under-30 Team of rising young coaches — comes to the Western slope following a five-year stint (2018-2023) as the head assistant coach of the very successful high-scoring, high-pressure program at his alma mater, West Liberty (W.Va.) University.
The Hilltoppers compiled a 135-21 record during Lamberti’s time on the sideline with West Liberty, sweeping the Mountain East Conference (MEC) regular season and tournament titles in 2020 (first sweep by any team in league history), 2022 and 2023.
NCAA Division II national tournament participants in each of Lamberti’s five seasons at WLU, the program finished its 2023 campaign as the national runner-up. It had previously reached the Elite 8 in 2021 and the Sweet 16 in 2019 (2020 national tournament canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic).
“We are thrilled to have Michael joining the Mountaineer family as our head men’s basketball coach,” offered Van Hee. “Mike is absolutely one of the most progressive, up and coming coaches in Division II. He is a proven winner who brings a passion like no other to the sport of basketball and comes from one of the winningest men’s basketball programs in the division.
“We love the style of play he will bring, and his enthusiasm for coaching. Mike is very intelligent, hardworking and motivational, and we believe he will get the most out his student-athletes. Coach Lamberti is hungry to prove himself and we are fortunate to have him and his family joining our forces here at Western.”
With Lamberti on the staff, WLU earned 16 all-conference selections, 4 MEC players of the year, 1 MEC freshman of the year, 2 NCAA Atlantic Region players of the year and 2 consensus All-Americans.
In addition to his daily on-court coaching duties with the Hilltoppers, Lamberti’s responsibilities also included scouting of opponents, academic advising of all players in the program, recruiting, and scheduling.
“Coaching basketball is not just a job for me, it’s a passion and a way of life,” said Lamberti. “I look forward to building this [Mountaineer] program and to helping our student-athletes succeed both on and off the court.”
His return to West Liberty came after spending two seasons as a graduate assistant at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical (Fla.) University where he earned a master’s degree in leadership.
Lamberti graduated from West Liberty in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, adding the Most Outstanding Finance Graduate award to his undergraduate honors.
He was a member of the Hilltopper basketball program from 2011 through 2016, finishing his career with a 156-17 record as a player, scoring over 700 points along while collecting 420 rebounds and 200 assists.
West Liberty won four conference titles, advanced to the Final Four three times (2013, 2014, 2016) and to the national championship game once (2014) during his time as a player.
His collegiate career followed a successful one as a player for South Fayette (Pa.) High School, where he remains the SFHS career leading scorer with 1,707 points. Lamberti, who also ripped down more than 1,000 rebounds during his playing career, helped South Fayette capture the AA state title in 2010. He was voted all-state three times, including to the Pa. first team after his senior season.
“My family and I are absolutely thrilled to embark on this new adventure and join the Western Colorado University community. Thank you to [WCU] President Baca and Athletics Director Miles Van Hee for this incredible opportunity,” added Lamberti.
Lamberti will officially begin his position at Western on Monday, April 24.
