Jay Ladner Tabs Three New Assistant Coaches to His Staff

Jay Ladner Tabs Three New Assistant Coaches to His Staff

6/6/2025 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss head coach Jay Ladner announced on Friday that Win Case, Luke Adams and Noah Croak will join his staff for the 2025-26 season.

Case comes to Hattiesburg after most recently being at Ole Miss as the Special Assistant to the Head Coach. Case helped the Rebels to 44 wins over the last two seasons and finished the 2024-25 season as the No. 18 team in the country. Case will be Ladner's associate head coach for the 2025-26 season. Adams will be an assistant coach for the Golden Eagles after spending two seasons at Tarleton State. After playing at Texas Tech, Adams took the coaching world by storm and is known as a defensive guru in the coaching ranks. Croak joins the Southern Miss staff as an assistant coach after several stops at the Junior College and Division I ranks. While at Prairie View A&M, Croak was the youngest active Division I assistant coach in the country.

A full breakdown of each coach be found below.

Case has been tabbed as the Associate Head Coach as he brings over 38 years of experience to the Golden Eagles staff after most recently spending time at Ole Miss. A respected recruiter in the collegiate game, Case served as the primary recruiter for former Rebels Matthew Murrell and Deashun Ruffin, two of the highest ranked recruits in program history.

“I’d like to start by thanking Jeremy McClain and Coach Ladner for this incredible opportunity with Southern Miss,” Case said. “This program has a great tradition and I’m excited to be a part of it. I cannot wait to hit the ground running in Hattiesburg and get started on preparing our team for success for the upcoming season and beyond.”

As part of the 2021 class, Ruffin became the first McDonald’s All-American to sign with the Rebels out of high school. During the staff’s first full recruiting cycle (2019), Case helped assemble a top-20 class, one of the best in Ole Miss history.

Ole Miss posted a 20-13 overall record to go along with a 10-8 mark to place sixth in the SEC in his first season, well ahead of the media’s last-place prediction. Case guided All-SEC guards Breein Tyree (first team) and Terence Davis (second team), the highest scoring duo in conference games at 19.1 ppg and 15.5 ppg, respectively.

Prior to his arrival in Oxford, Case spent 10 seasons on Kermit Davis’ staff at Middle Tennessee, helping the Blue Raiders capture seven conference titles and make three NCAA Tournament appearances. Middle Tennessee won 232 games during Case’s decade in Murfreesboro, including six seasons with at least 24 victories.

Case was highly successful at each of his previous collegiate stops with a proven track record as both an assistant and head coach, having been part of national championship teams in each capacity. His career win-loss record as a head coach is an astounding 392-169. In 2012, Case was one of 15 coaches named to the NAIA 75th Anniversary Team, joining the likes of John Wooden and other legendary coaches.

The highly successful coach was the head men’s basketball coach at Redlands College for one season, following a two-year stint at Eastern Oklahoma State College, where he served as head men’s basketball coach and athletics director. Case was head coach at Oklahoma City University for 13 years, posting a 343-127 record and winning the NAIA National Championship in 1994 and again in 1996. Before being head coach at Oklahoma City, Case served as an assistant there for two years and was part of two NAIA national championships (1991, 1992). The 1992 squad was 38-0.

Case began his coaching career as an assistant at Oklahoma Baptist in 1987. He spent two seasons as an assistant at Eastern Oklahoma before joining the staff at Oklahoma City University. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in 1986.

Case played two seasons at Seminole Junior College and led the team to a runner-up finish in the NJCAA national championship game. Following two years of junior college, Case played two years at Oklahoma State, where he averaged 10.7 points as a senior. Case and current Kansas head coach Bill Self were teammates at Oklahoma State, and his son, Jeremy, was a member of Kansas’ national championship team in 2008 and is currently the video coordinator for the Jayhawks.

Adams joins the Southern Miss staff as an Assistant Coach after spending two seasons at Tarleton State. Adams joined Billy Gillispie's staff in the summer of 2023 and focused his day-to-day activities in recruiting for the Texans.

“I am very grateful for Coach Ladner and Southern Miss for the opportunity to join this renowned program," Adams said. “Coach Ladner has a long track record of success at the Division I, Junior College and High School levels. I'm excited about the guys we have and I think we have a good chance to compete for the league championship this season.”

In his first season on the Texan bench, he was a part of a staff that broke multiple records in Tarleton State's Division I era.The Texans set a new record with 25 overall wins, the 20th 20-win season in program history. Tarleton registered 16 wins in WAC play, the highest in any conference in program history. During the regular season, the squad knocked off eventual WAC Champion, Grand Canyon, 77-74, in front of a sold out Wisdom Gym crowd. Tarleton State was one 17 NCAA Division I teams this season to register 10 road wins this season and was the only reclassifying team to accomplish the feat. Tarleton climbed up to as high as 129 in the NET rankings, their highest as a Division I program. the Texans also orchestrated a perfect 8-0 month of February, one of five schools to do so in 2024.

In the Texans second postseason eligible season, the unit earned its highest WAC Tournament seed finishing second in the WAC with a 16-4 record. Tarleton reached the WAC Semifinals for the first time in program history. The Texans ran off a pair of win streaks that were the longest in its D1 era, with a six game streak early in the season, and a 10-game streak during WAC play.After the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas, the Texans accepted a bid to host their first postseason tournament in Wisdom Gym in its Division I era, the College Insider.com Postseason Tournament presented by BSN SPORTS. The Texans knocked off Texas Southern in the opening round before defeating Abilene Christian for the third time this season to earn the Lou Henson Classic Championship. Tarleton reached the semifinals of the CIT presented by BSN SPORTS, its longest postseason run in its Division I era.

Individually, the Texans earned their most postseason honors since joining the WAC. Jakorie Smith became the first Texan to earn First Team All-WAC. KiAndre Gaddy was the fourth different selection as WAC Defensive Player of the Year since the award's inception in 2016. Gaddy also was named a top 25 finalist for the Lefty Driessel Award, the nation's top defensive player. He joined freshman Emmanuel Innocenti on the All-Defensive Team. Tarleton was the only school to earn two players on the five-man team this season. Innocenti also earned a nod to the WAC All-Freshman Team.

Tarleton established themselves as one of the top teams statistically in the WAC as well. At the end of the regular season, Tarleton was in the top 3 in nine statistical categories, including topping the league in four. Tarleton led the WAC in fewest turnovers per game (13.1), turnover margin (+ 3.0), steals per game (9.0) and free throw percentage (75.2%). The Purple and White were second in field goal percentage (45.3%) and Assist to Turnover ratio (1.14). Finally, the Texans were third in the WAC in assists per game (13.2), scoring margin (+ 5.1), and opponent turnovers per game (14.5). Nationally, the Texans were in the top 40 in three different categories. Tarleton had the 18th most steals per game, 26th highest turnover margin, and 36th most turnovers forced per game.

Adams has spent four years as a head coach of a junior college as well as two seasons as an assistant coach. During his coaching career, Adams has mentored two All-Americans, 14 all-conference selections and has helped 41 players reach the Division I level.

Adams was also the Director of Player Development at Texas Tech under his father, head coach Mark Adams. Adams spent the 2022-23 season in Lubbock.

Before the Red Raiders, Adams was the head coach at New Mexico Junior College for four seasons. Adams led the Thunderbirds to a 63-21 overall record and 32-16 mark in conference play in three competing seasons during his four-year tenure. The 2020-21 season was canceled due to Covid-19. In each of the three seasons, NMJC reached the Region V seminals and at least a third place finish in the conference. Adams brought the Thunderbirds back to the regional semifinals for the first time since 2014-15 in his first season with the program.

Adams spent the 2017-18 season as an assistant coach at Seward County Community College in Liberal, Kansas. He spent one season as an assistant coach under Jason Sautter. He helped push the team from a last place (14th place) conference finish in the season prior to his arrival to an eight place finish in his first year. The Saints reached their first Region VI Quarterfinal since 2015.

He began his collegiate coaching journey as an assistant coach for Steve Green at South Plains College. South Plains earned third place in the National Tournament following a 29-0 regular season campaign. During his two seasons at South Plains, the squad was 53-11.

Adams enjoyed a four-year playing career at Texas Tech under Tubby Smith and coach Gillispie. He played in 64 games with seven starts in his career. During his freshman campaign under Gillispie, Adams scored a career-high 15 points against Kansas State. During the summer before his junior season, Adams starred for the USA Deaf National Team in Bulgaria. He started in seven games averaging 10 points, 3.9 steals, 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists. The squad earned a bronze medal.

Adams' dad, Mark Adams, is currently an assistant coach at Ole Miss and was previously the head coach at Texas Tech. Adams graduated from Texas Tech in 2014 earning his undergraduate degree in Exercise and Sport Science and also in 2015 when he earned his master's degree in Sports Management.

Croak will join the Golden Eagle staff as an Assistant Coach for the 2025-26 season. Croak spent the previous two years at Fulton City High School in Kentucky where he served as the Athletic Director and head boy's basketball coach.

“I’m very grateful to Southern Miss and Coach Ladner for the opportunity to join the men’s basketball staff," Croak said. "Hattiesburg and Southern Miss are special places and have welcomed my family and I with open arms. We are prepared to help the men’s basketball team climb back to the top of the Sun Belt Conference. I know fans will be ecstatic with our team this year and the effort put forth into our whole program.”

In those two years in Kentucky, Croak helped double the programs win total from each of the previous seasons and finished 22nd in three-point percentage in the state during the 2024-25 season. Fulton City also ranked top 50 in offensive rebounding and saw major improvements in its shooting game with Croak's development skills.

Before his time in Fulton, Croak spent the 2022-23 season at Tarleton State as an assistant coach. The Texans went 17-17 during Croak's lone season in Stephenville. Croak helped the Texans to a CBI appearance during that season and picked up wins in the regular season over Boston College, Belmont and second-seeded Utah Valley.

Croak made the move north to Stephenville following a year-long stint as an assistant coach at Prairie View A&M. He previously served as an associate head coach and recruiting coordinator under fellow Texan assistant coach Zach Settembre at Tallahassee Community College (TCC) from 2019-2021. Croak also made assistant coaching stops at Dodge City Community College and Kentucky Wesleyan College.

Croak went to Tarleton as the youngest active Division I men’s basketball assistant coach. While at Prairie View, Croak leant his efforts to all areas of team operations on one of the most successful programs in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Croak also coached senior guard Jawaun Daniels to All-SWAC first team honors. Daniels ranked fifth in the conference in scoring (15.1 ppg) and seventh in rebounding (6.7 rpg), leading the Panthers in both categories.

Croak was invaluable in helping TCC enjoy a historic two-year run alongside Settembre. The Eagles accumulated a 46-9 overall record and won back-to-back Panhandle Conference Championships in 2020 and 2021 with Croak serving as associate head coach. His recruiting prowess was on full display throughout his time in Tallahassee. Croak signed and developed 16 players who went on to sign National Letters of Intent with D1 programs.

During the 2019-20 season, a school record nine players put the pen to paper with D1 schools and all 15 players on the roster accepted scholarships with four-year programs. Croak helped coach El Ellis, who signed with Louisville in 2021, to consecutive Panhandle Conference Player of the Year accolades and mentored Tariq Silver (Oregon State) and Jeremiah Kendall (Prairie View) to conference Newcomer of the Year honors. In total, Croak coached 11 all-conference players while at TCC. With Croak on staff, TCC was one of the most efficient teams at both ends of the court in the D1 junior college ranks.

The Eagles ranked in the top-10 nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency ratings in both seasons. In 2019-20, TCC shot 40.2 percent from deep to the tune of 362 made 3-point field goals, setting school records in both categories. The Eagles finished with a 27-6 overall record and 9-3 mark in conference play in 2019-20 en route to the outright Panhandle Conference Championship – their first since 2001. The team’s march toward the conference crown was foreshadowed by a 16-2 record in nonconference action that featured victories over traditional Texas junior college powers Odessa College and Trinity Valley CC.

TCC then advanced to the championship game in the NJCAA Region VIII/FCSAA State Tournament and secured an at-large bid to the NJCAA National Tournament for the first time in school history. Croak helped ensure TCC did not miss a beat during the 2020-21 campaign despite challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. The Eagles finished 19-3 overall and posted a 9-3 conference record to earn a share of the Panhandle Conference Championship. The consecutive conference championships were the first in program history since 1996 and 1997. The 13 conference victories signified a school record.

The Eagles also excelled in the classroom with Croak on staff. TCC owned the distinction of being the only team to rank in the top-10 of the NJCAA D1 Men’s Basketball Rankings and in team GPA. Before moving to the Sunshine State, Croak served as the associate head coach at Dodge City CC in 2018-19. There, he coached three All-Region players, two Academic All-Americans and ensured all players on the roster graduated with their associate degrees and moved on to four-year institutions. Croak first began his ascension to the D1 ranks during a two-year run at Kentucky Wesleyan College alongside Hall of Fame head coach Happy Osborne.

He helped the NCAA Division II Panthers notch a combined 71-23 overall record and consecutive conference championships and maintain a spot in the top-10 of the D2 Men’s Basketball Rankings in both seasons. Fifteen of the players Croak coached signed professional contracts. He has also spent time on the AAU circuit, coaching the 17U Boys with Distinxion squad, which is run by the family of NBA players Tyler, Cody and Luke Zeller.

Croak is a 2016 graduate of Indiana University and resides in Stephenville.

WHAT JAY LADNER HAS TO SAY

“Win Case is nationally regarded as one of the best recruiters in Division I. He was on staff with Kermit Davis and helped engineer some of those really good teams they had at Middle Tennessee – he then of course followed him to Ole Miss. Win stayed on staff at Ole Miss when Chris Beard took over and that doesn't happen often when a coach keeps someone from the previous staff. To me, that speaks a lot about someone as a person and as a coach. Win and I have known each other for a long time and he's already had a huge impact here in terms of recruiting. I couldn't be more excited for him to join our staff.” – Ladner on Win Case

“Luke Adams, of course, has an incredible basketball pedigree. He played at Texas Tech for Chris Beard, and his dad, Mark, in now one of Beard's top assistants at Ole Miss. He's a defensive specialist and his dad's regarded as one of the top defensive minds in the country. He's an encyclopedia of players and I'm so excited we were able to bring in someone like that. He's been working incredibly hard on the recruiting trail and we're happy he made it to Hattiesburg.” – Ladner on Luke Adams

“Noah Croak, kind of along the lines of the Luke, is a young and energetic coach. He's kind of a fire eater and just can't stop working. He's into it 24 hours a day and doesn't skip a second. He's incredibly connected in the basketball world and was on staff with Billy Gillespie at Tarleton State. He also spent time at Tallahassee Community College and picked up a lot of knowledge there. He's a super person, heck of a recruiter and a really good basketball coach. It's evident what he's already brought to the program and I couldn't be more excited to have him on staff.” – Ladner on Noah Croak