MSU Athletics

Head Coach Mike Brandt took over at the helm of the Minot State Women's Basketball team in the summer of 2021 and enters his 3rd season with the Beavers in 2023-24.

During the 2022-23 seasons, Coach Brandt guided the Beavers to a 12-16 overall record and an 8-14 mark in the NSIC. Point guard Kate Head was named to the All-NSIC 1st Team for the Beavers and a finalist for the NSIC's Kelly Scholar-Athlete Award. The Beaver women also excelled in the classroom with a team GPA of 3.621, 2nd-highest in the Minot State athletic department, and Head, Natasha Elliott, Emma Mogen, Breianna Smestad, and Kennedy Harris all were named to the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence.

In his first season at Minot State, the Beavers went 8-18 overall and 6-13 in NSIC play. Minot State was led by senior Amber Stevahn who was named an NSIC Honor Student-Athlete, a CoSIDA Academic All-American, and to the All-NSIC 1st Team.

The Beaver basketball team also scored the highest team GPA in the NSIC and were No. 11 in the nation in the WBCA Academic Top 25. 

Coach Brandt also was named to the WBCA Board of Directors in July of 2023 and is one of three NCAA Division II coaches with voting rights with the WBCA.

Coach Brandt brings more than 30 years of coaching experience and over 500 collegiate career wins as a head coach to Minot State. While at Southern Methodist University (SMU), helped lead the Mustangs to the 2017 NIT and molded three AAC All-Conference players as well as two AAC All-Freshman Team Members. Prior to his position of Associate Head Coach for SMU (2016-2019), Brandt spent the previous 14 seasons as head coach at USC Aiken. He posted a 254-166 record and led the Pacers to the NCAA Tournament five times, including three straight appearances from 2011-2013.
  
He is the all-time career wins leader for a coach at USC Aiken. Brandt guided the Pacers to a program-record 27 wins in 2010-11 and again in 2011-12, winning the Peach Belt Conference Tournament championship in 2012. The Pacers No. 1 regional ranking enabled them to host the program’s first ever NCAA Regional Championship. USC Aiken was consistently ranked in the top-25 and reached as high as No. 3 in the NCAA Division II national rankings during his tenure. Brandt was on several WBCA Committees including the All-America Committee and the USA Today/WBCA Top-25 Committee.
 
Prior to taking over at USC Aiken, Brandt spent 13 seasons at the helm of the women’s basketball program at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colo. For the first seven years of his tenure, he also assisted with the men’s program. He was named NJCAA District G Coach of the Year in 2002 after leading his team to the Region IX championship. Brandt guided his team to at least 20 wins eight times, including six consecutive seasons, and broke the program single season wins mark five times. Brandt is also the all-time wins leader at Northeastern, finishing with a 253-129 mark. During his time at Northeastern, he coached five NJCAA All-Americans, 52 academic award winners and numerous all-region players.

Brandt began his coaching career in the high school ranks at Winfield High School in Winfield, Kan., in 1986. After two seasons at Winfield, he spent a season as the boys’ varsity coach at Wray High School in Wray, Colo., before advancing to the college ranks.

Brandt played point guard at Northeastern Junior College, leading his team to a 21-2 record after Christmas. He earned an Associate of Arts in liberal arts in 1984 and earned a Bachelor’s in physical education with a minor in computer science from Sterling College in 1986. In 1988, Brandt completed his studies for a Master of Education at Southwestern College.

Mike Brandt's Career Record
Minot State (2 seasons)                                                  20-34
South Carolia Aiken (14 seasons)                                  254-166
Northeastern Junior College (Colo.) (13 seasons)         253-129
Career record (29 seasons)                                         527-329