Southern Miss basketball coach Jay Ladner has been rewarded following the Golden Eagles (26-8, 14-4 Sun Belt) winning the conference regular season title last season. Ladner signed a contract extension to remain at Southern Miss through the 2026-27 season on Wednesday.
“I’m very blessed and humbled to continue to be the head basketball coach at this incredible institution that has meant so much to me and my family,” Ladner said in a release. “I am so grateful to our assistant coaches, staff and most of all our players, both past and present. To our loyal fans who have reawakened Reed Green Coliseum to make it one of the toughest venues in America, thank you!”
Ladner — entering his fifth season with the Golden Eagles — helped lead one of the biggest turnarounds in college basketball last season. Southern Miss won seven games in 2021-22 before jumping to 26-wins the following season.
Ladner was a part of the USM 1987 NIT championship team and the Golden Eagles returned to the postseason tournament in March. Southern Miss lost 88-60 to UAB in the first round of NIT tournament last season.
“We are extremely excited to have Jay Ladner continue to lead our men’s basketball program into the future,” said Southern Miss athletics director Jeremy McClain. “Jay has done a tremendous job of engaging our community and working to rebuild our program to contend for championships. As we continue to invest in our future, we look forward to Jay’s leadership being a catalyst for our sustained success.”View Deal