After serving on the staff of his alma mater since 2012-13, Rick Cabrera joins Matt Figger's staff at Austin Peay, where he will be an instrumental member of Figger's inaugural coaching staff.
A former guard for Ohio Valley Conference foe Tennessee Tech, Cabrera spent five seasons on the sidelines in Cookeville, ascending to associate head coach duties in 2015-16 under Steve Payne. Cabrera spearheaded recruiting during his second tenure on the sidelines for Tennessee Tech, helping land All-OVC performers such as Ryan Martin and Torrance Rowe.
Cabrera got his coaching start at his alma mater, spending a season as a graduate assistant under Jeff Lebo and earning his master’s in instructional leadership in 2001. From there, Cabrera spent a season as head coach at Miami (Fla.) Killian High School and two seasons as an assistant at Keystone College before ascending to the head coaching job at Lackawanna Junior College.
During his time at Lackawanna, Cabrera accumulated a 100-28 record and two region titles, earning two region Coach of the Year honors (2005-06); he coached three NJCAA All-Americans and eight All-Region performers.
He joined John Shulman’s staff at Chattanooga in 2008, serving four seasons under the former Tennessee Tech assistant. He got his first taste of NCAA success with the Mocs, winning Southern Conference North Division titles in 2009 and 2011 and reaching the 2011 NCAA Tournament with a SoCon Tournament win.
As a player, Cabrera spent his first two seasons at Vincennes University, where Figger was an assistant coach, playing alongside future pros Tyrone Nesby and Clarksville native Shawn Marion. He finished up his collegiate career at Tennessee Tech, earning Team MVP as a senior and his multidisciplinary studies degree in 1999. He added a master's degree in Instructional Leadership from Tennessee Tech in 2001.
His father, Hugo Cabrera, Sr., was voted as the Dominican Republic’s “Player of the Century” and is in that country’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Rick has also played professional basketball in the Dominican Republic
