Ahead of Jay Ladner’s seventh year as the head coach of Southern Miss men’s basketball, staff changes, a nearly complete roster rebuild, and a limited budget are forcing him to reckon with his program’s position in the new age of college athletics.
The Golden Eagles have achieved just one winning season under Ladner, a conference title season in 2022-23 when the black and gold finished 25-8, and have gone 76-111 overall since the former player returned to Hattiesburg as the head man. The obstacles of soaring NIL budgets and an unbridled transfer portal are not new barriers, but those that have especially grinded on lower resource programs.
In that championship season in 2022-23, Ladner used the portal to his benefit, bringing on all-league Division 1 transfers Felipe Haase (South Carolina, Mercer), Neftali Alvarez (Mercer), and Austin Crowley (Ole Miss). But it wasn’t fat NIL deals that brought the trio to Hattiesburg, but rather a connection to the hiring of assistants Juan Cardona and Nick Williams following the previous year.
Ladner was given a contract extension following the improved year, but an 11-22 record in the 2024-25 campaign will add pressure to win immediately. The head man will have to do so without the two that aided in the turnaround two years ago, Lander announced on SuperTalk Eagle Hour Thursday that Cardona and Williams have both departed for other opportunities with – Williams as an assistant coach at McNeese State and Cardona coaching in the professional ranks in his homeland of Puerto Rico.
Southern Miss has not announced either of the two assistants replacing the departing pair. Ladner hinted at a soon-to-be-announced “noteworthy” hire that he hopes will bring in big-time talent once again.
“We wouldn’t have [Haase, Alvarez, and Crowley] if it wasn’t for Juan and for Nick,” Ladner said. “Those are big losses, but with big losses, sometimes you get great opportunity.”
The lead-up to the 2025-26 season will have a similar feel to that one, with pressure again mounting on Ladner to return the program to winning ways.
Beyond bringing in two new top assistants, Ladner was quick to point out the soaring hurdle of competing financially with more well-endowed programs in cobbling a roster together – especially after a lackluster season.
“We’re going to have to put a mostly new team on the floor every year,” Ladner continued, noting that peer programs like NCAA Tournament team Troy have had their best players poached by Power 5 programs. “It’s become so cost-prohibitive. It’s unbelievable what some schools have in their NIL budget compared to us. And I’m not going to use that as an excuse as to why we can’t be successful.”
Another mid-major program in Nick Williams’ newfound home at McNeese State has cited a $1.5 million NIL budget under new head coach Bill Armstrong, a number that Ladner says Southern Miss is “not even close to.” Richie Riley, the head coach at conference-mate South Alabama, told AL.com that his program works with “zero NIL” after the Jaguars finished atop the Sun Belt standings in 2025.
Ladner estimates a $400,000 NIL mark is where the program needs to be to make noise in the current landscape.
“I feel like we could be really competitive at that number,” Ladner concluded. “We are not close to that last year, but we’re working hard to get there this year. Then, coming off a year like we had last year, which is unacceptable, it’s hard to raise it. So, we’ve got to get creative ways to help raise money for our NIL budget.”
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken said formal approval would come soon on a looming $2.8 billion settlement between the NCAA and former athletes that will open the flood gates for revenue sharing – yet another howling wind blowing against cash-strapped Group of Five schools.
“It’s a crazy world that we’re living in,” Ladner concluded. “We’ve got to play this other game to get to that point and to help us win.”
