[2] Plona started his coaching career at Providence, serving from 2007 to 2009 as a student manager and graduate assistant.
[3] Afterwards, Plona assisted at South Plains College from 2011 to 2015, helping them compile an overall record of 116–21 in his tenure which included an undefeated national championship season in 2011–12 and another appearance in the title game in 2014–15.
[5] He served eight years there and had an 86.6% winning percentage, helping them win the conference regular season title eight straight times, the conference postseason championship six times and appear in the NJCAA Tournament in all but one of his seasons.
[3] He was selected the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) Coach of the Year four times and was the NJCAA District Coach of the Year five times, with 12 of his players being named All-American, 42 being named All-Region, and 59 ultimately playing at the NCAA Division I level.
[3] Plona resigned from Indian Hills to become an assistant for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in 2023, having won 225 games there.