Will Shouse
Head Coach
Will Shouse is entering his eighth season as head coach of the Asbury University men's basketball program and 10th overall as a collegiate head coach.
After returning to his alma mater in June of 2008, the 2002 alum has spent a total of 15 seasons on the court for the Eagles, four as a player and another four as an assistant from 2002-2006.
2013-14 was a season where the Eagles finished 17-11 overall and 10-7 in conference play, bowing out in the opening round of the KIAC Tournament. The Eagles returned to the court in 2014-15 with plenty of youth and rose to the occasion. Shouse and the Eagles captured their seventh 20-win season by protecting home court (15-1) and going 8-5 in conference. Key wins over ranked Union College and a run in the KIAC without top scorer--and All-KIAC player Kyle Lamb--helped AU finish 20-11 on the year.
In 2012-13, Shouse led the Eagles to their sixth 20-win season in team history, bouncing back from the 12-17 season the year prior. An appearance in the KIAC Conference championships followed a convincing 87-68 victory over Indiana-East in the semi-finals. Shouse led the Eagles into the KIAC finals for the first time since taking over in the 2008-09 season.
Despite finishing 12-17 overall, Shouse and the Eagles provided some noteworthy highlights in the 2011-12 season. The first came in the Luce Center on January 26 as the Eagles upset No. 15 Indiana Southeast 78-75. The second came just weeks later as Shouse led the Eagles to the KIAC semi-finals after defeating their second Top-25 team, this time taking down No. 17 Indiana East in overtime 96-93 in Richmond, Ind.
In 2010-11 Shouse led the Eagles to a share of the KIAC Regular-Season Title-- proving to be just the second time in school history Asbury had been conference champions. The Eagles would finish the season 20-8 overall and 11-2 in the KIAC, tied with Indiana East and Indiana Southeast. It was the second 20-win season for Shouse at the helm of the Eagles, and only the fifth in the team's 20-year history.
Shouse made quite a splash with the Eagles in his first season at the helm of the program. In 2008-09, Asbury finished 21-13, claimed the NCCAA Mid-East Region title and took fifth at the NCCAA Division I National Tournament. It marked the third-straight season guiding one of his teams to 20 wins, while it also earned him his third-consecutive NCCAA Mid-East Region Coach of the Year award.
Prior to returning to Asbury, Shouse’s head coaching debut came at Kentucky Christian University, where he compiled a record of 53-22 in two seasons and guided the Knights to back-to-back third-place finishes at the NCCAA Division II National Tournament. In a short amount of time, his KCU squads established a reputation for high-caliber offense as the they led NCCAA Division II in scoring both seasons, with his 2007-08 team averaging an impressive 93.9 points per game.
Shouse's offensive attack returned quick results for the Eagles since his return. Asbury ranked fifth in NAIA Division II in scoring at 86.4 points per content in 2008-09 and ranked 12th in 2010-11 scoring 81.9 points per game. In five seasons as a head coach, Shouse has compiled a 107-62 career record.
During his years at Asbury, Shouse has coached four NCCAA All-Region players, a region player of the year, seven Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete, two NCCAA All-Americans, one NAIA All-American, and seven All-KIAC players including one KIAC Player of the Year (CJ Penny, 2013-14).
As a student-athlete, Shouse scored more than 1,000 points and broke Asbury’s record for 3-pointers made in a season with 131. During his senior season in 2002, he led the Eagles in scoring with 15 points per game, highlighted by an impressive 11 made 3-pointers against Johnson Bible. He went on to receive Asbury’s Gamble Walker Senior Award, recognizing his commitment, athletic ability and servant-leadership on the team.
Shouse has led the team more than just on the court. Under his watch the team has ventured to Puerto Rico and Costa Rica, spreading the Gospel and spending time interacting with the locals. The team has also used the game of basketball to witness to inmates at local prisons, playing games against them and sharing the love of Christ.
A native of Lawrenceburg, Ky., Shouse graduated from Asbury with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in 2002, and earned a Master of Science in Sports Management from the United States Sports Academy in 2005.
Will Shouse