The Louisiana Ragin Cajuns have brought a former Mississippi State Bulldog back to his home state as an assistant coach for the men’s basketball program.
Cajuns head coach Bob Marlin announced on Tuesday that he has hired Derrick Zimmerman as an assistant coach beginning in the 2021-22 season. Zimmerman, a native of Monroe, had spent the last three seasons at Mississippi State, serving two seasons as a graduate assistant before serving as Director of Scouting & Analytics on Ben Howland’s staff in 2020-21.
“We are extremely excited to add Derrick to our coaching staff,” Marlin said in a release by the university. “We feel like he will bring an immediate impact to our program through his energy and experience at both the collegiate and professional level.
“He showed tremendous leadership as a player at Mississippi State and his overseas experience will help with our young players.”
Zimmerman played for Mississippi State in the early 2000s and was an integral part of the Bulldogs making the NCAA tournament in both 2002 and 2003.
“I am very excited in joining the Ragin’ Cajuns Basketball family,” Zimmerman said. “Being from the state of Louisiana, this was a great opportunity to come back home and work with head coach Bob Marlin and his staff while getting to work with a group of talented young men. I am ready to get started working with the team, getting out in the community and helping bring a championship back to Lafayette.”