Entering his ninth season as head coach at Indiana University Kokomo in 2026–27, Eric Echelbarger has established the Cougars as one of the premier programs in the River States Conference and a consistent NAIA National Tournament contender. Following the conclusion of the 2025–26 season, Echelbarger owns a 211-55 overall record at IU Kokomo, including a 93-28 mark in River States Conference play, while guiding the program to sustained championship contention and national postseason success.
Echelbarger, the all-time winningest coach in program history, has led IU Kokomo to seven consecutive 20-win seasons (with the 2020 COVID-shortened campaign excluded), a stretch that includes some of the most successful seasons in program history.
Since taking over a program on June 1, 2018 that had previously won just 35 percent of its games and had never reached the postseason, Echelbarger has guided IU Kokomo to five NAIA National Tournament appearances (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2026), including three Sweet 16 runs in 2019, 2020, and 2022.
The Cougars’ postseason success has included one of the most notable victories in program history, when IU Kokomo defeated No. 1 overall seed William Penn on its home floor in the Round of 32 in 2022 to advance to the NAIA Sweet 16.
IU Kokomo has also captured five River States Conference West Division championships (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2026), while consistently finishing among the league’s top programs. The Cougars added additional success with River States Conference regular season and tournament runner-up finishes in 2023, along with a tournament runner-up finish in 2026, reinforcing their sustained presence at the top of the conference standings.
The 2025–26 season saw IU Kokomo finish 24–8 overall and 12–4 in River States Conference play, continuing its streak of high-level success and earning another NAIA National Tournament appearance.
The 2024–25 season featured a 21–9 overall record and an 11–5 conference mark, as the Cougars remained firmly positioned among the conference’s top contenders.
In 2023–24, IU Kokomo posted a 21–8 overall record with an 11–7 conference mark, continuing its run of consistent 20-win seasons under Echelbarger.
The 2022–23 season included a 23–9 record and a 15–3 conference finish, as the Cougars once again contended for the RSC title before falling in the conference championship game.
The 2021–22 campaign marked one of the most successful seasons in program history, as IU Kokomo posted a program-record 32–4 overall record and a 17–1 conference mark. The Cougars won both the River States Conference regular season and tournament championships, advanced to the NAIA Sweet 16 for the third time in four seasons, and completed a historic postseason run that included the program-defining upset of No. 1 overall seed William Penn on its home floor in the Round of 32. IU Kokomo finished the season ranked No. 22 nationally and extended a school-record 20-game winning streak from December through March.
The 2020–21 season was shortened due to COVID-19, with the Cougars finishing 7–2 overall.
In 2019–20, IU Kokomo posted a 27–7 record, captured the RSC West Division championship, and advanced to the NAIA Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season while finishing ranked No. 22 nationally.
Echelbarger’s first season in 2018–19 immediately elevated the program, as IU Kokomo went 26–10, won the RSC West Division title, finished runner-up in the conference tournament, and advanced to the NAIA Sweet 16—the program’s first national tournament appearance.
Prior to IU Kokomo, Echelbarger spent 15 seasons as an assistant coach at NCAA Division II McKendree University, helping the program win six American Midwest Conference championships and make multiple national tournament appearances under legendary head coach Harry Statham.
As a player, Echelbarger was a co-captain on McKendree’s 34–4 2002–03 team that reached the semifinals of the NAIA Division I National Championship and later earned induction into the McKendree Sports Hall of Fame.
Echelbarger holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education (2003) and a master’s degree in education (2007) from McKendree University. He resides in Kokomo with his two sons, Ethan and Evan.
