Juan Cardona Promoted to Associate Head Coach
5/11/2023 2:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss head men's basketball coach Jay Ladner announced Thursday that Juan Cardona has been promoted to associate head coach. Cardona is entering his second season with the Golden Eagles.
"I want to thank Coach Ladner and Southern Miss for allowing this to happen," Cardona said. "Southern Miss Nation has been a blessing in my family's life -- I am forever grateful. La Familia!"
Cardona just finished his first season in Hattiesburg and played an instrumental role in producing one of the best turnarounds in NCAA history. He helped Southern Miss rank among the top of the Sun Belt in field goal percentage defense (3rd), rebound margin (4th), scoring defense (3rd), steals per game (4th) and turnovers forced per game (4th).
On March 24, Cardona was named head coach of the Chilean Men's National Team. He will guide Chile at the 2023 Pan American Games and through the qualifying process for the 2025 Copa America Games. The Puerto Rico native will also oversee the development of youth basketball in Chile while still holding his role as assistant coach with the men's basketball program.
Cardona is no stranger to the Chilean basketball system as he has tutored current Golden Eagles Felipe Haase (Osorno), Marcelo Perez (Talca) and Nico Aguirre (Castro). All three have spent time representing their county and will look to earn a spot with Cardona on the Men's National Team.
Cardona joined the Golden Eagle staff after a stint at Mercer. In his year with the Bears, Mercer won 17 games and finished fourth in the Southern Conference. A six-game winning streak early in 2020 helped the Bears garner National Association of Basketball Coaches Team of the Week honors.
At season's end, three players – Djordje Dimitrijevic, Ethan Stair and Kamar Robertson – received All-SoCon honors for their on-court performance. Dimitrijevic was also recognized by the NABC as a Second Team All-District XXI selection and a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Second Team Academic All-America
Cardona arrived in Macon following a three-year stretch as the head coach of the varsity boys program at Miami Christian High School in Miami, Fla., where he led the program to a pair of 2A FHSAA state titles (2017, 2018) and a No. 1 ranking in the state of Florida during the 2017 season.
In his three seasons with the varsity boys program at Miami Christian, Cardona achieved a 74-19 record for a .796 winning percentage.
Cardona spent one season (2018-19) on the sidelines with the varsity girls team, leading the squad to a 17-7 record and an appearance in the FHSAA 2A semifinals, which was a first for the girls program.
Cardona additionally led the Miami Tropics AAU program from 2016-19, where he worked alongside his mentor, Art Alvarez.
An experienced and accomplished coach in Puerto Rico and Mexico as well, Cardona served as the head coach for seven different professional organizations from 2007-18, including a recent position with Caciques de Humacao in Humacao, P.R.
Further accomplishments of Cardona's include leading the Puerto Rican U-17 National Team to a gold medal at the Centrobasket Tournament in 2007 and leading American University (Bayamon, P.R.) and Caribbean University (Bayamon, P.R.) as head coach. Cardona spent one season on the sidelines at American and was at Caribbean University from 2009-2011.
Cardona's coaching career began in 1998 when he was named head coach at Lino Padron Rivera High School in his hometown of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico.
"I want to thank Coach Ladner and Southern Miss for allowing this to happen," Cardona said. "Southern Miss Nation has been a blessing in my family's life -- I am forever grateful. La Familia!"
Cardona just finished his first season in Hattiesburg and played an instrumental role in producing one of the best turnarounds in NCAA history. He helped Southern Miss rank among the top of the Sun Belt in field goal percentage defense (3rd), rebound margin (4th), scoring defense (3rd), steals per game (4th) and turnovers forced per game (4th).
On March 24, Cardona was named head coach of the Chilean Men's National Team. He will guide Chile at the 2023 Pan American Games and through the qualifying process for the 2025 Copa America Games. The Puerto Rico native will also oversee the development of youth basketball in Chile while still holding his role as assistant coach with the men's basketball program.
Cardona is no stranger to the Chilean basketball system as he has tutored current Golden Eagles Felipe Haase (Osorno), Marcelo Perez (Talca) and Nico Aguirre (Castro). All three have spent time representing their county and will look to earn a spot with Cardona on the Men's National Team.
Cardona joined the Golden Eagle staff after a stint at Mercer. In his year with the Bears, Mercer won 17 games and finished fourth in the Southern Conference. A six-game winning streak early in 2020 helped the Bears garner National Association of Basketball Coaches Team of the Week honors.
At season's end, three players – Djordje Dimitrijevic, Ethan Stair and Kamar Robertson – received All-SoCon honors for their on-court performance. Dimitrijevic was also recognized by the NABC as a Second Team All-District XXI selection and a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Second Team Academic All-America
Cardona arrived in Macon following a three-year stretch as the head coach of the varsity boys program at Miami Christian High School in Miami, Fla., where he led the program to a pair of 2A FHSAA state titles (2017, 2018) and a No. 1 ranking in the state of Florida during the 2017 season.
In his three seasons with the varsity boys program at Miami Christian, Cardona achieved a 74-19 record for a .796 winning percentage.
Cardona spent one season (2018-19) on the sidelines with the varsity girls team, leading the squad to a 17-7 record and an appearance in the FHSAA 2A semifinals, which was a first for the girls program.
Cardona additionally led the Miami Tropics AAU program from 2016-19, where he worked alongside his mentor, Art Alvarez.
An experienced and accomplished coach in Puerto Rico and Mexico as well, Cardona served as the head coach for seven different professional organizations from 2007-18, including a recent position with Caciques de Humacao in Humacao, P.R.
Further accomplishments of Cardona's include leading the Puerto Rican U-17 National Team to a gold medal at the Centrobasket Tournament in 2007 and leading American University (Bayamon, P.R.) and Caribbean University (Bayamon, P.R.) as head coach. Cardona spent one season on the sidelines at American and was at Caribbean University from 2009-2011.
Cardona's coaching career began in 1998 when he was named head coach at Lino Padron Rivera High School in his hometown of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico.
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