Southern Miss Hires Ben Mandelbaum as Men’s Basketball Assistant Coach

HATTIESBURG, Miss. — The University of Southern Mississippi announced the hiring of Ben Mandelbaum as an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team, effective immediately, according to a news release from the school.

Head coach Jay Ladner called Mandelbaum “one of the top young assistants in the country” and said he is a great fit for the program. Mandelbaum expressed enthusiasm about joining the Golden Eagles, saying he is “incredibly excited and extremely grateful” to be part of the team’s culture and tradition.

Mandelbaum comes to Southern Miss after spending a year at Chicago State, where he helped the Cougars rank highly in several offensive and defensive categories, including second in assist-turnover ratio and free throw percentage. Chicago State also led the Northeast Conference in steals per game and turnovers forced, according to the school.

Prior to Chicago State, Mandelbaum served two seasons as associate head coach at Lander University in South Carolina, helping the program reach the Peach Belt Conference Tournament in 2022. He also spent two seasons at Tallahassee Community College, where he was recognized as one of the nation’s top junior college coaches by Silver Waves Media.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota, where he served as head student manager for the Golden Gophers under coach Richard Pitino. Mandelbaum also earned a master’s degree in kinesiology at UAB, where he was a graduate assistant coach for two seasons. His coaching career began at Stillwater High School in Minnesota.

Southern Miss’s men’s basketball program continues to build its staff with experienced coaches like Mandelbaum, aiming for sustained success in the upcoming season, according to the school.

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