Bernie Merkel - Head Coach - 17th Season
Bernie Merkel is a 1982 graduate of Indiana University Southeast where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Business Management and was a member of the men's basketball team, under the guidance of former IU Southeast coach Jim Morris from 1978 to 1982. During his career as a Grenadier, he twice won the Ron John's Mental Attitude Award.
Merkel has been an assistant coach for the women's basketball team since 1992. His other coaching experiences involve several years of coaching girls AAU basketball and various girls' basketball city leagues.
Merkel is employed by Parsons in Louisville, KY as a Medical Equipment Planner. He and his wife Lisa have two daughters, Shelli and Emily, along with three grandsons, Max, Jake, and Trevor.