MINOT, N.D. – It's basketball season Beaver fans!
The Minot State women's basketball team begins a new era – the
Ryan Clark era – this weekend as the Beavers tip off the season with three games at the Division II CCA Tip-Off Tournament hosted by Montana State Billings.
A challenging test for the Beavers who will be led onto the hardwood by former Minot State assistant, Clark, who after two seasons as the head man at Lake Region State takes over as the top man on the Minot State bench.
"It's required a lot of teaching so far," Clark said as the team has spent the fall adjusting to their new coach and his style of play. "We've had to teach on both sides of the court, offensively and defensively; just new terminology, new principles of how we want to do things.
"But I love the way that the ladies have responded to it, they've done a great job of taking steps forward in what we're doing."
Now it's time to test what the Beavers have learned so far, and it'll be a tough test when the season tips off as Minot State opens against No. 8 ranked Union (Tenn.) on Friday at noon (Minot time). The Lady Bulldogs went 29-4 last season and are led by returning 1
st Team All-Gulf South Conference forward Macey Lee who averaged 12.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in 2023-24.
The Beavers opening weekend in Montana continues against Findlay (Ohio) on Saturday then wraps up Sunday against Texas A&M International. Both those games also tip off at noon (Minot time).
The Oilers went 14-15 last season but were picked to finish 3rd in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference this season, while the Dust Devils went 25-7 last year and were picked to finish 7
th in the Lone Star Conference, but did receive one 1
st-place vote in their coaches' poll.
As for the Beavers, fans can expect a more up-pace tempo Coach Clark said.
"We're trying to space it out, trying to get a lot of layups, shoot a lot of threes, make quick decisions," he said.
"We see every single day that it's looking better and better, which is what we want to see," Minot State's new head coach added. "And then same thing defensively, just putting in different principles and speed on it."
While the Beavers will have a new look in terms of playing style, they return experience as Clark recently spent two seasons as an assistant with Minot State (2019-21) so he knows the NSIC, and the Beavers return starters
Sydney Gustavsson (12.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg),
Lorelei McIver (6.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg),
Emma Mogen (6.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg), and
Taylor Goss (6.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg) who the new coach expects good things from this season.
Coach Clark added that incoming freshmen
Jessica Mogen, younger sister of Emma, and
Lara Dobbins from New South Wales, Australia will be a few of the team's impact newcomers this season.
As for expectations for a team under a new coach that looks to build off a trip to the NSIC playoffs last winter, Coach Clark said he hopes the team can build on that prior success without putting a ceiling on how good this year's team can be.
"I want us to just keep getting better each and every day and seeing where that can take us," Clark said.
While the Beavers open on the road this weekend, Minot State will make its home debut in a men's and women's non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday, November 20, at the MSU Dome hosting Mayville State at 5:30 p.m.
The Minot State men will host Jamestown at 7:30 p.m. that same evening.
