INDIANAPOLIS - IU Indianapolis head men's basketball coach Ben Howlett has announced the hirings of Connor Harr and Dan Monteroso to assistant coaching posts, marking his first two additions to his coaching staff. Harr comes to IU Indy from the NBA G-League Osceola Magic while Monteroso recently completed a seven-year professional playing career in Germany. Both have ties to Howlett's successful West Liberty program as Harr was on the West Liberty staff for five years and Monteroso was a standout player at West Liberty before playing overseas.
"I'm excited to have these guys join me on staff at IU Indy," Howlett said. "They're guys that I have great familiarity with and that I trust to help turn this program into a consistent winner. They know how I like to run things and how to connect with players. Connor relates incredibly well to current players and is one of the best in terms of navigating the transfer portal and identifying prospects. He knows what kind of players excel in our system and does a remarkable job of identifying and scouting those individuals.
"Dan was a remarkable student-athlete for us at West Liberty and has continued to play at a high level overseas. He's ready to join the coaching ranks and is tremendous in skill development and helping players excel in our program. His professional playing experience only makes him more equipped to coach and teach at a high level."
Harr was most recently the video coordinator for the Osceola Magic, working on Dylan Murphy's staff. He was responsible for all film related tasks and assisting in player development, coaching and team strategy. While at West Liberty, Harr was a student assistant on Howlett's staff from 2020-23 and then returned as a full-time assistant coach in 2023-24. He helped WLU to multiple national No. 1 rankings and was part of the NCAA Division II runner-up program in 2023. Harr had previously coaching stops at Great Lakes Christian College in Lansing, Mich., and Columbus State Community College in Columbus, Ohio.
Harr gained valuable experience with the Ohio-based 270 Hoops and produced extensive coaching content on Twitter and YouTube.
"I'm excited for the opportunity to be back in college and working with Coach Howlett," Harr said. "As a basketball fan, I'm excited to be in the basketball state. I look forward to assisting Coach Howlett with building IU Indy into a consistent winning program."
Monteroso was a standout player at West Liberty, including earning First Team All-American honors in Howlett's first season as head coach in 2018. He was also named NCAA Division II Academic All-American of the Year in 2018 after being named a two-time Academic All-American. He was also a two-time MEC Scholar Athlete of the Year and tallied 1,134 points in just two seasons at West Liberty. He began his collegiate career with the Purdue football program, earning his degree in three seasons with the Boilermakers. He transferred to West Liberty with two seasons of basketball eligibility, helping the Hilltoppers to a 54-8 record. In his one season of football at West Liberty, he racked up 57 receptions for 944 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Monteroso, an Ohio-native, spent his entire professional playing career in Germany, playing for Ehingen Urspring (2018-20), Gladiators Trier (2020-23) and Nurnberg Falcons BC (2023-24), including averaging 14.3 points per game during the 2022-23 campaign.
"I'm super excited to be joining Coach Howlett here at IU Indy," Monteroso said. "I'm really excited to start working with the team. My family and I are thrilled to be joining the Jaguar family."
Both Harr and Monteroso will be assisting in all facets of the program and will immediately begin duties.
