CHICAGO, Ill. – Chicago State Men's Basketball Head Coach
Landon Bussie officially announces
Ben Mandelbaum as a new assistant coach joining the coaching staff for the Cougars men's basketball team.
"Coach Ben is a relentless recruiter that can identify talent to help this program grow," said Bussie. "He worked under me for two years at Alcorn State University and he brings experience, structure and loyalty. I am extremely excited to have him apart of Chicago State."
Mandelbaum arrives to Chicago State after serving two years as assistant basketball coach at Alcorn State University.
Prior to 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 on the Division II level of intercollegiate athletics, Mandelbaum was responsible for helping rebuild the Bearcats program with recruiting success, overseeing academic orientation and scouting opponents for the program. 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, Alabama 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.
