OWENSBORO, KY - Head Coach Drew Cooper will go into the 2023-24 season with plenty of experience beside him on the bench. Travis Owsley (Class of '11) returns for his third season, veteran coach Joe Krupinski and former Panther star Cardell McFarland (Class of '12) have been added as well.

Krupinski brings with him over 25 years of coaching experience, most recently as the head coach at Midway University, where he started the program in 2016. Under his guidance, the Eagles qualified for the conference tournament three times in the past four seasons and held a 32-22 record with a 20-15 mark in the River States Conference. In 2015-16, Krupinski was the head coach at Saint Catharine's College in Springfield, Kentucky, helping lead them to a conference semi-final birth. His first head coaching gig came with Lyndon State (NCAA DIII) from 2008-14. He is still the school's all time coaching wins leader, and was named the North Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2011. His coaching career started at Springfield College in 1997, and he also made stops at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Saint Michael's College, and American International. 

"Joe is a veteran coach that has been respected in Kentucky and throughout the northeast for decades," said Head Coach Drew Cooper. "He most recently built Midway College's program from scratch to a competitor, and he did it the old fashioned way - through grit and hard work. He's an encyclopedia of information when it comes to recruiting and every prospect out there knows his face because where the ball is bouncing, you'll find him. We are very fortunate to have him here at Kentucky Wesleyan."

Former All-GLVC guard Cardell McFarland will bring years of both playing and coaching experience to the KWC coaching staff. Prior to joining the Kentucky Wesleyan staff, McFarland started and ran his own basketball skills and development training business. He worked with multiple NBA and Division I athletes during his five years running the business. From 2018-20, McFarland also coached for Indiana Elite, one of the nations premier AAU programs on the Adidas circuit. A former professional basketball player, McFarland spent six years overseas playing in Switzerland, Romania, Australia, England, Slovakia, and Germany. He earned multiple First-Team All League honors and played in the Switzerland All-Star game vs. their national team early in his career. McFarland is a Kentucky Wesleyan alumni, as he suited up for the Panthers from 2010-12. He was named to the NCAA Midwest Region All-Tournament team in 2012, was a GLVC First-Team honoree in 2011-12 and a Third-Team member in 2010-11. In just two seasons with the Panthers, McFarland scored 901 points (18.4 ppg), shot 53% from the field, 42% from three, and dished out 171 assists. He scored a career high 47 points in an upset of No. 2 Bellarmine on Feb. 19, 2011. Prior to his time with the Panthers, he spent two years with DI Missouri State, starting 19 of his 34 games played. 

Drew Cooper states "Our players love Cardell and I'm happy to welcome him back to Wesleyan. He's knowledgeable, passionate, conscientious, and someone that has done great things for our college dating back to when he was a player. He knows everything about every prospect in his home state of Indiana which is also a blessing to us. He'll do great here."

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