JOURNAL SPORTS
NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State officially will welcome Rick Cabrera as the 11th men’s basketball head coach in program history – and second in as many seasons — with a 2 p.m. introduction today.
The event, which is open to NSU students, faculty, fans and the media, will be held in the ballroom inside the NSU Student Union in the center of campus.
Cabrera was named Hoop Dirt’s national Junior College Coach of the Year on Monday, after leading Tallahassee Community College to a 31-6 record and the NJCAA Final Four as a national 12-seed.
He was named NSU’s new head coach last Wednesday, taking over for Corey Gipson, who departed NSU after one 22-win season to take the head coaching job at his alma mater, Austin Peay.
The 47-year-old Cabrera, a native of Spring Valley, New York, has 13 seasons as an NCAA Division I assistant coach at his alma mater, Tennessee Tech, Arkansas State and Austin Peay.
Head coach from 2004-08 at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa., Cabrera began his coaching career in the high school ranks following his playing days at Tennessee Tech. In his six years as a head coach at Lackawanna and Tallahassee Community College, Cabrera has compiled an overall record of 152-45.