Utilizing the off-season to their fullest, the Minot State Beavers men’s and women’s basketball programs have focused not only on building a roster of talented players for the 2023 season, but amassing the best coaching staffs as well.

On the men’s side of the court, Beavers head coach Matt Murken welcomes multiple new members to the sideline, including assistant coach H Hendrickson, graduate assistant Quincy Minor Jr., and director of basketball operations Cole Edwards.

Unlike his new colleagues on staff, this opportunity will mark the beginning of his coaching career for graduate assistant Minor Jr.

Having attended Waldorf University in Forest City, Iowa, Minor Jr. was a two-sport athlete that competed in track and field and accumulated a number of honors on the basketball court as a three-year starter, two of which he spent as team captain. Finishing his collegiate career in the top-ten all-time in several statistical categories at Waldorf, Minor Jr. was twice named to the North Star Athletic Association All-Conference Team.

Joining Minor Jr. and touting an impressive resume that spans across eight years, Hendrickson is no rookie when it comes to the responsibilities of a standout assistant coach. During his past five years as an assistant at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona, he was an integral part of an Aztec team that captured back-to-back Region I D-2 championships in 2018 and 2019, along with a third championship in 2021. Furthermore, the 2018 team advanced all the way to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national championship game.

Throughout the course of his journey, Hendrickson has coached a multitude of academically and athletically decorated players, assisting 28 student-athletes in moving on to play at four-year colleges and universities. Interestingly, his career is rooted in North Dakota, where his coaching journey began as a varsity assistant at Fargo South High School under his father, former Minot State player Mike Hendrickson.

Similar to Hendrickson, Cole Edwards also strengthened his coaching chops in North Dakota, yet just a little closer to the Minot State area.

From 2018 to 2021, Edwards honed his coaching skills with stints as an assistant coach at both Our Redeemer’s Christian School and more recently Bishop Ryan High School.

The Minot State graduate would parlay his local experience into a position as the director of basketball operations and assistant men’s basketball coach at Seward County Community College in Liberal, Kansas during the 2021-22 season. Duties associated with his position included leading the transitions for offense and defense, directing the active recovery program for players, and enhancing skill development.

In addition to his responsibilities as the new director of basketball operations, Edwards will join Minot State women’s basketball head coach Mike Brandt on the sidelines as an assistant coach.

Regarding Brandt, he looks to improve upon the success he generated during his debut season with the Beavers by bringing on graduate assistant and standout international player Anda Kuzmina. With a wealth of international and collegiate playing experience, Kuzmina will begin her coaching career with returning assistant coach Amber Renz and volunteer coach Amaura Brandt.

Hailing from Riga, Latvia, Kuzmina has had success playing at both the Division I and Division II levels of college basketball. Over the span of her career, she competed in 135 total games and was named to the Atlantic Sun Conference All-Freshman Team her first year at South Carolina Upstate.

Outside of college, she was a member of a Latvian U-20 team that finished eighth overall for the European championship.

With the 2023 season just around the corner, all eyes will be fixed upon the Minot State men’s and women’s teams to witness for themselves if these coaching staff additions will help kick off an era of even greater success for Beavers basketball.