The University of Pennsylvania’s new John R. Rockwell Head Coach of Men’s Basketball, Fran McCaffery, has announced the hiring of Ben Luber to his staff as an assistant coach.
Luber comes to Penn after spending the last five years as head boys’ basketball coach at the George School in Newtown, Pa. Prior to that, he spent a decade as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level.
“I’ve known Ben since he was in high school, when I tried to recruit him,” said McCaffery. “He was a tremendous player at Penn State and has already had an incredible coaching career at the college level as an assistant and associate head coach. Ben is an excellent recruiter, phenomenal in skill development, and really relates well to everyone. Most recently, he did a fantastic job as head coach at the George School. I look forward to Ben having a tremendous impact on our program.”
“I am enthusiastic about helping Fran McCaffery return Penn to prominence in the Ivy League,” said Luber. “I also cannot wait to work with him and bring an exciting brand of basketball to The Palestra. I am grateful for this incredible opportunity at the University of Pennsylvania.”
As head coach at George School, Ben led the boys’ varsity basketball team to notable successes, including winning the Friends League championship in 2023—the first league title in the school’s 52-year history—and finishing runner-up in the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) State Championship. He was honored as Non-PIAA State Coach of the Year twice, in 2021-22 and again in 2022-23, and developed 11 first-team all-league players during his five-year stint.
Prior to that, Luber got his start as Rider’s Director of Basketball Operations in 2009-10, then moved into an assistant coaching position the following season and sandwiched two stints with the Broncs—from 2010-12 and then from 2017-20—around four seasons as Associate Head Coach with the Binghamton Bearcats (2013-16).
At Rider, Luber helped the Broncs tie the program record for wins with 23 in 2010-11, while during his second stint the Broncs went 22-10 in 2017-18, won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) regular-season title with a 15-3 mark, and played Oregon in the NIT.
Before coaching at the college level, Luber owned the Ben Luber Basketball Academy, LLC where he trained some of the top talent in Pennsylvania. One of his most notable protégés was Ryan Arcidiacono, who went on to win the 2016 NCAA national championship with Villanova—Arcidiacono earning Final Four MVP honors in the process—and continues a professional career that has included a number of NBA stops.
As a player, Luber was a four-year starter at point guard for Penn State University. He led the Nittany Lions in assists all four seasons and graduated seventh on the program’s all-time list with 418 career assists. Luber also led PSU in steals as a freshman, when he received Freshman All-America Honorable Mention recognition from Street & Smith Magazine. Following his graduation in 2007, Luber played professionally in Israel and Iceland.
Luber holds a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Penn State and a master’s degree in athletic leadership from Rider.
Luber grew up in nearby Richboro, Pa., and was a first team all-state honoree at Council Rock North High School where he set school records for career wins, points, assists and steals. He led Council Rock North to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Sweet 16 and was twice named the Bucks County Player of the Year. Luber has been inducted into the Council Rock Hall of Fame and the Bucks County Hall of Fame.
Luber and his wife, Nicki, live in Newtown with their two children: son Jaylen and daughter Cecilia.
