Minot State names Murken next men’s basketball coach

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MINOT — Minot State University has named a new men’s head basketball coach.

Matt Murken has been the head coach at Jamestown College the past two seasons. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native compiled a 46-16 record at Jamestown and led the Jimmies to the NAIA Division II tournament last season.

Minot State is an NCAA Division II school. More than 80 people applied to succeed former coach Peter Stewart. Stewart resigned after two seasons.

South Dakota Mines coach Jason Henry and Montana Western coach Steve Keller also interviewed for the position.

— The Associated Press

Jamestown remains optimistic despite losing Murken

JAMESTOWN — Losing any coach, particularly a good one late in the summer, presents a unique set of challenges for an athletic director.

That’s the task facing Jamestown College’s Lawrie Paulson after Matt Murken was hired by Minot State on Wednesday to become its new men’s basketball coach. Still, Paulson is confident the school will find a quality replacement. Just hours after the job became available, Paulson was already fielding inquiries.

Paulson is optimistic that the position will be filled quickly and with a strong candidate. Part of being an AD means having a short list tucked away somewhere if the need arises, regardless of the sport, and Paulson certainly has that.

“We’re very confident we’ll find a good coach and we’re moving full steam ahead as quickly as we can to find the right guy,” Paulson said.

— Dave Selvig, Forum Communications

Tags: college basketball, matt murken, jamestown jimmies, minot state beavers, sports, basketball