List of Northwestern State Demons basketball head coaches

Last updated June 12, 2025

The following is a list of Northwestern State Demons basketball head coaches. There have been 11 head coaches of the Demons in their 108-season history.^[1]

Northwestern State's current head coach is Rick Cabrera. He was hired as the Demons' head coach in March 2023,^[2] replacing Corey Gipson, who left to become the head coach at Austin Peay.^[3]

No.	Tenure	Coach	Years	Record	Pct.
1	1912–1950^[a]^[b]^[c]	H. Lee Prather	35	473–169	.737
2	1950–1957	Red Thomas	7	138–77	.642
3	1957–1965	Huey Cranford	8	116–98	.542
4	1965–1980	Tynes Hildebrand	15	191–199	.490
5	1980–1985	Wayne Yates	5	48–92	.343
6	1985–1988	Don Beasley	3	42–41	.506
7	1988–1994	Dan Bell	6	68–98	.410
8	1994–1999	J. D. Barnett	5	55–79	.410
9	1999–2022	Mike McConathy	23	330–377	.467
10	2022–2023	Corey Gipson	1	22–11	.667
11	2023–present	Rick Cabrera	0	0–0	–
Totals		11 coaches	108 seasons	1,483–1,241	.544
Records updated through end of 2022–23 season Source^[1]

↑ Some records from this period are incomplete.
↑ Northwestern State did not field a team for the 1917–18 season due to World War I.
↑ Northwestern State did not field a team for the 1943–44 or 1944–45 seasons due to World War II.

References

1 2 "2022-2023 NSU Basketball Information Guide" (PDF). Northwestern State Athletics. p. 42. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
↑ "NSU announces Rick Cabrera as new head basketball coach". Natchitoches Parish Journal. March 22, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
↑ Robinson, George (March 12, 2013). "Corey Gipson returns to Austin Peay as basketball coach after season at Northwestern State" . The Leaf-Chronicle . Retrieved April 1, 2023.

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[Incomplete-4] Some records from this period are incomplete.

[NoTeamWWI-5] Northwestern State did not field a team for the 1917–18 season due to World War I.

[NoTeamWWII-6] Northwestern State did not field a team for the 1943–44 or 1944–45 seasons due to World War II.

[RecordBook-1] 1 2 "2022-2023 NSU Basketball Information Guide" (PDF). Northwestern State Athletics. p. 42. Retrieved April 1, 2023.

[2] "NSU announces Rick Cabrera as new head basketball coach". Natchitoches Parish Journal. March 22, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2023.

[3] Robinson, George (March 12, 2013). "Corey Gipson returns to Austin Peay as basketball coach after season at Northwestern State" . The Leaf-Chronicle . Retrieved April 1, 2023.

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