Ben O'Brien was named the Lafayette College women's basketball head coach in April of 2026.
The Leopards newest mentor arrives on College Hill following a historic head-coaching tenure at the University of Scranton, where he compiled a 117-7 (.943) record over four seasons that included four conference championships (2023-26), two undefeated regular seasons (2023, 2026), four NCAA Tournament appearances (2023-26) and three Elite 8 stints (2024–26). During the 2026 NCAA Tournament run, O’Brien led Scranton to the NCAA Division III National Championship Game after using its Final Four appearance to snap NYU’s 91-game winning streak.
O’Brien earned D3hoops.com National Coach of the Year honors in 2026 and was a WBCA National Coach of the Year finalist in 2023 and 2026 when he also secured Landmark Conference Coach of the Year laurels. O'Brien reached historic heights at Scranton, becoming the fastest coach in men's or women's college basketball history at any level to reach 100 career wins. His success also tied him for the fastest coach in any collegiate sport at any level to reach the 100-victories mark. On Nov. 16, 2025, O'Brien commanded his team to a 69-63 win over Pittsburgh, claiming the title as the first NCAA Division III team to defeat a Power 4 opponent in women's college basketball history.
During his tenure at Scranton, O’Brien oversaw three All-America selections, two all-region honors, two All-Region Players of the Year, an All-Region Rookie of the Year, eight all-conference honorees, two Landmark Conference Players and Defensive Players of the Year and three Rookie of the Year selections.
Prior to taking over at Scranton, O’Brien spent 14 seasons as the head girls' basketball coach and social studies teacher at Dunmore High School. He finished his high school coaching career with a 347-43 (.889) record, including 13 league titles, 10 district championships and two state championship game appearances.
A native of Dunmore, Pa., O’Brien earned his bachelor of arts degree in History from Pennsylvania State in 2004. He secured his teacher’s certification in Secondary Education from East Stroudsburg, acquiring his Master’s Equivalency in 2016.
O’Brien, 46, is the eighth head coach of the Lafayette women’s basketball program since its inception in 1972 and the first male. He is married to his wife Mandy, and they are the parents of a daughter, Livvy, and a son, Ben.
