After college, Cabrera spent a year coaching high school before rejoining the Golden Eagles staff under Jeff Lebo as a graduate assistant from 1999 to 2001 and was on staff for two OVC regular-season titles. After another one-year stint in the high school coaching ranks, Cabrera became an assistant coach at Keystone College where he spent two years before becoming the head coach at Lackawanna College. In four years he guided Lackawanna to a 100–29 record as well as three regular season titles and two conference tournament titles.[1] In 2008, he'd return to the NCAA Division I coaching ranks with Chattanooga, followed by another stint at Tennessee Tech, along with Austin Peay and Arkansas State.[4][5]
In 2021, Cabrera returned to the junior college ranks as a head coach with Tallahassee Community College where in two seasons he guided the team to a 52–16 overall record, including an appearance in the NJCAA Division I national semifinal in 2023.[6][7]
On March 22, 2023, Cabrera was named the 11th head coach in Northwestern State men's basketball history, replacing Corey Gipson who departed for the head coaching position at Austin Peay.[8][9]
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
Conference regular season champion
Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
Division regular season champion
Division regular season and conference tournament champion
Conference tournament champion
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
Conference regular season champion
Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
Division regular season champion
Division regular season and conference tournament champion
Conference tournament champion