MSU Athletics

Matt Murken enters his 13th season as head coach of the Minot State University men's basketball program in 2024-25 after taking over the program in the summer of 2012, prior to the 2012-13 season which was the Beavers first full season of competition at the NCAA Division II level. 

Coach Murken is the Beavers' No. 2 all-time winningest coach. Quite an accomplishment considering the Beavers have been playing basketball since 1914!  In Murken’s tenure the Beavers are known for efficient offense and sharing the basketball. The Beaver basketball record books reflect this as Murken has recruited and coached the programs All-time leading scorer, rebounder, assist man, 3-point makes leader, Field Goal percentage leader, 3-point Field Goal percentage leader, Free Throw percentage leader and block shot leader. In the recorded stats of Minot State Basketball, an amazing 49% of the individual game or career records are held by players from the Murken era.

During the 2024-25 season, the Beavers smashed records and made history highlighted by Minot State earning the program's first-ever NCAA National Tournament berth. On the way to nationals, the Beavers set all-time single-season records for wins going 26-10, scoring with 2,895 points, rebounds with 1,311, 3-pointers made with 327, and total field-goals made with 1,049. Minot State also added NCAA-era team single-season records with 494 assists, 118 blocked shots, and 187 steals. The Beavers also set records by starting the season 17-0, the best start ever, and climbing as high as No. 4 in the nation in the NABC Coach Top 25 poll, an all-time high. The Beavers also added a single-game record with 26 assists in a 100-58 win over Puerto-Rico Bayamon.

Leading the way was NABC and D2CCA All-American junior forward Caleb Van De Griend who on the Top 25 Watch List for the Bevo Francis award given to th top non-NCAA Division I Player of the Year. Van De Griend was a 4-time NSIC Player of the Week who set single-season records with 752 points, 470 rebounds, and 289 field-goals made, and a career record with his 71.4 field-goal percentage. Van De Griend also won 2 NCAA Division II statistical national championships, for rebounds per game (13.1) and double-doubles with 30 during the season.

Adding to the Beavers record season was senior guard Jaxon Gunville who set career-records playing in 134 games and making 316 career 3-points. Gunville also set an NCAA record with 11 3-pointers made in the season, and a single-game record making 10 3s in an 84-80 win over Wayne State, and junior guard Sam West who had an NCAA single-season record 48 steals.

In 2023-24, the Minot State men's basketball team made history, earning the program's first NCAA Top 25 ranking, climbing as high as No. 16 in the nation and remaining in the Top 25 polls for six consecutive weeks. The Beavers claimed the program's first upset of a No. 1-ranked opponent, beating No. 1-ranked Minnesota State, Mankato, 81-71 on January 19. The victory also was a personal career milestone for Coach Murken, his 200th career victory.

Along with milestone moments, the Beavers compiled a 20-9 overall record, finishing 4th in the NSIC and advancing to the NSIC Tournament quarterfinals. The Beavers also set team season records for defense, holding opponents to an all-time low of 68.3 points per game, recorded an all-time best scoring margin difference as the Beavers average 77.3 points per game and allowed 68.3 (9.0 margin), and held opponents to an all-time low field-goal percent of 42.2 percent (716-of-1,698). Minot State's Khari Broadway and Conner Hollenbeck both earned All-NSIC Honors, while 5 players were named to the CSC Academic All-District Team, 5 players named to the NSIC All-Academic Team, and Ben Bohl, Jake Lieppert, Jaxon Gunville, and Quincy Minor Jr. were named to the NABC Honors Court, and the Beavers earned the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award.

The 2021-2022 Beavers also entered the record books in a number of ways. The team finished with a 15-10 record and earned at 4th place finish in the NSIC North. The Beavers knocked off the highest ranked opponent in D2 history by beating #6 Minnesota Duluth on February 12th. The team was ranked 3rd in all of NCAA D2 in FG% and #9 in the country in fewest turnovers per game.

Senior Max Cody was named 1st team all NSIC. He led the NSIC in assists per game and was 7th in NCAA D2 in the same stat. He also broke the schools all time assist record for both a single game and for a career. Cody also ended his career as the University’s 6th all time leading scorer and is 5th all-time in steals.

Senior forward Melvin Newbern was second team all NSIC. He was second in the NSIC in total rebounding. Newbern finished his career with the highest rebound per game average in Beavers basketball history.

Senior forward Kody Dwyer eclipsed 1000 points to finish 17th on the all-time list and set the all-time career field goal percentage record by converting 69.5% of his attempts. Dwyer also finished in the top 3 in all of NCAA in field goal percentage for the 3rd consecutive season.

In 2020-21, the Minot State Men's Basketball team dealt with tough circumstances in an impressive fashion. The team battled through a shortened 16-game schedule with four cancellations along the way to finish 9-7 overall and 6-4 in conference play and clinch a trip to the NSIC Tournament as the North's number two seed. MSU earned an overtime 90-85 victory over South No. 3 Upper Iowa in the quarterfinals to clinch a victory at the Sanford Pentagon for the first time in program history and earn a berth into the tournament semifinals for the first time in program history. 

Senior guard Max Cody earned First-Team All-NSIC Honors after surpassing the 1,000-career point mark and junior forward Melvin Newbern earned NSIC Honorable Mention after both student-athletes led the Beavers in multiple categories during the year. 

Coach Murken becomes the sixth head coach in Minot State Men's Basketball history to surpass the 100-career-win total.

The Beavers finished the 2019-20 season with a 10-19 overall record and went 4-18 in conference play. MSU opened the season with a six-game winning streak and did not sustain its first loss until Nov. 30. Four members of the basketball team earned NABC Honors Court with Jacob Dahl, Eduardo Fiorrotto, Sam Ohlrich, and Trevor Rothstein nabbing the honors. Senior Kyle Beisch and junior Max Cody were top two on the team in scoring and earned All-NSIC Honorable Mention. 

In 2018-19, the Beavers took a step back from the previous season, finishing with an overall record of 14-18, and a 9-13 NSIC mark.

Despite that, the Beavers had a great stretch winning seven of nine games from the middle of January to the middle of February. 

Murken coached David Akibo to being named to the All-NSIC second team.

Murken's rebuilding plan came to fruition in the 2017-18 season as the Beavers put together the best season in school history during the NCAA Division-II era. Minot State finished the year with a 20-10 overall record and a 13-9 NSIC record, which represents the highest win totals since the Beavers joined D-II. Minot State hosted an NSIC Tournament game and recorded the Beavers first conference tournament win when they topped Upper Iowa 91-71 in the MSU Dome.

Murken coached Tyler Rudolph to NSIC Player of the Year and All-American honors during the 2017-18 season. Rudolph became the first Beavers player to be named NSIC Player of the Year and was also the first Minot State player to be named All-American in the Division-II era.

In the 2016-17 season, Murken led the Beavers to a fourth place finish in the North division, securing the program's first-ever Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament home game. Murken coached Minot State's leading scorer and rebounder Tyler Rudolph to become the first player in school history to earn All-NSIC First Team honors.

During the 2015-16 season he coached his team to a winning record, the first since Minot State as entered the Division-II ranks. The Beavers earned wins over Upper Iowa and Winona State for the first time on their way to finish in the top-10 of the conference standings. Murken coached MSU leading scorer Tyler Rudolph to become the second player to earn All-NSIC honors. 

In the 2014-15 season, Murken coached the first player from Minot State to earn All-NSIC recognition in Everett Robinson. 

In his first season at Minot State, Murken led the Beavers to a 10-17 overall record, an improvement of six wins from the previous season. Despite being picked No. 15 in the pre-season Northern Sun Coaches' Poll, the Beavers finished fifth in the NSIC North with nine conference wins. The biggest win of the 2012-13 season came away from the MSU Dome as the Beavers took down No. 19 St. Cloud State on their home floor, 68-62.

Prior to coming to Minot State, Murken collected a vast amount of coaching experience at the head coach, assistant and graduate assistant coaching levels.

Murken began his coaching experience at Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 2001. He then moved on to Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference rival Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb. as a graduate assistant. He helped WSC in all aspects of their basketball program including recruiting and game preparation.

After one season as a graduate assistant, he was offered a full-time assistant position at WSC. As an assistant Murken successfully recruited players who could thrive both on and off the court. In four years, he recruited five All-NSIC performers and six players to the NSIC All-Academic Team, including two Academic All-Americans.

In 2009, Murken joined the staff at Des Moines Area Community College as an assistant coach. Murken spent one season at DMACC and helped the team to a 22-7 record and a national ranking of 14th.

In 2010, Murken earned the head coaching position at Jamestown College in Jamestown, N.D. Over his two seasons there, he compiled an impressive 46-16 record. In 2012, after winning the Dakota Athletic Conference Championship, Murken was also named the conference Coach of the Year.

Murken has traveled extensively to conduct basketball camps and speak at coaches clinics. In addition to his experience across the US, he has also traveled internationally to Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Puerto Rico and Canada to coach and conduct clinics and camps.

Murken, a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, also has playing experience at the collegiate level. He played for four seasons at Concordia University in Seward, Neb.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Concordia, and he also holds a Masters of Science in Education from Wayne State College. Murken resides in Minot, N.D. with his wife, Chelsie, son Crew, and daughters Remie and Everly.