Earnest Academy is on track for an early August opening. The building is going up at 3800 14th Ave. SE, behind Pure Honda on the north side of the U.S. Highway 2 & 52 Bypass East.

The new academy is the next stage of growth for Bell, who utilized space in storage units to launch Earnest Elite Basketball Academy after moving to Minot in 2016. A standout athlete who played for Brandon University in Manitoba and spent six years playing professionally in Europe and the Middle East, Bell trains youth from ages five through high school. He said he will be adding a program for college students once the new facility opens.

The building will have a full-sized basketball court that can be split into two side courts, a wood floor and seating for spectators. There will be a lobby, office and team meeting space.

Bell said he feels blessed to have such a facility.

Submitted Photo A rendering shows the basketball academy building under construction in southeast Minot.

“It never would have happened without them,” he said of the Marshalls. “They have fulfilled my dream.”

“It’s a really great relationship because Earnest brings something to the table that we don’t have. And we bring something to the table with operations and building,” Krista Marshall said. “So it’s a good partnership.”

Shortly after enrolling their children in Bell’s program in 2020, the Marshalls recognized the potential that an improved facility could have on the program and on economic activity in Minot through sports tourism.

“It’s really something that is awesome for the kids but it’s also for the community, too, because it helps drive a ton of extra business,” Nic Marshall said.

Krista Marshall, operations manager for her family’s business, Schatz Crossroads, said the push to make the building happen came when her parents threw their support behind the project. Schatz Properties owns the property that will be leased to the operating partnership.

The partners said they want to add coaching staff to increase program capacity once the new building opens. They also hope to eventually expand the facility.