University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Golden Eagles Add Ben Mandelbaum to Coaching Staff
6/5/2026 10:10:00 AM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss head men's basketball coach Jay Ladner has announced the hiring of Ben Mandelbaum as a new assistant coach for the Golden Eagles.
"I'm incredibly excited and extremely grateful to join the Southern Miss basketball family," Mandelbaum said. "Coach Ladner and his staff have built a tremendous culture and winning tradition that I'm honored to be a part of. I'm looking forward to getting to work and helping continue the success of Golden Eagle basketball."
Mandelbaum is coming off a one-year stint at Chicago State, where he helped tutor CJ Ray to Third Team All-NEC honors. The Cougars ranked near the top of the NEC in assist-turnover ratio (second), bench points per game (second), fastbreak points (fourth), free throw percentage (second), free throws made per game (third), and offensive rebounds per game (fourth).
Chicago State led the NEC in steals per game (8.2), turnover margin (+2.9), turnovers forced per game (13.34), and turnovers per game (10.5). Mandelbaum made his way to the Windy City via a two-year stop at Alcorn State.
"Ben Mandelbaum is regarded as one of the top young assistants in the country," Ladner said. "He's a great fit for our program and culture. We are excited to have him join our staff."
Before Alcorn State, Ben served the previous two seasons as the associate head coach for the men's basketball program at Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina. While serving under Head Coach Omar Wattad and the Bearcats, who compete at the Division II level of intercollegiate athletics, Mandelbaum helped rebuild the program through recruiting success, oversaw academic orientation, and scouted opponents. During the 2021-22 men's basketball season, Mandelbaum helped the Bearcats qualify for the Peach Belt Conference Tournament.Prior to his time at Lander, Mandelbaum spent two seasons at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Florida, where he served one year as an assistant coach and another season as associate head coach under Head Coach Zach Settembre. In his duties at Tallahassee CC, Mandelbaum was responsible for recruiting, academic performance, strength and conditioning, scouting opponents, devising game plans, and the day-to-day operations of the program. Across his two seasons in Tallahassee, Mandelbaum helped the Eagles amass 49 wins against just 13 losses, including helping the Eagles qualify for the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 2019-20. For Tallahassee CC, it was the program's first berth in the NJCAA Tournament since 2011, as the squad registered a record of 27-6 on the season. Mandelbaum was recognized for his excellent work at Tallahassee CC when he was named by Silver Waves Media as one of the "50 most influential coaches in junior college basketball" around the country.
A graduate of the University of Minnesota, Mandelbaum eventually worked his way up to being the Head Student Manager for Richard Pitino's Golden Gophers, earning a bachelor's degree in psychology along the way.
Upon graduating from Minnesota, Mandelbaum spent one season as the Varsity Assistant Coach/Junior Varsity Head Coach for the boys' basketball team at Stillwater (Minn.) High School. From Stillwater, Mandelbaum moved to Birmingham, Ala., upon accepting a position on the coaching staff for Head Coach Rob Ehsan at UAB as a graduate assistant coach. Mandelbaum spent two years at UAB, helping coach the Blazers achieve two winning seasons while also earning a Master's Degree in Kinesiology.
