After two successful seasons with the Bulldogs, men's basketball assistant coach Ryan Kirsch will be returning to the state of Iowa to become the new head coach of the Iowa Central Community College men's basketball program.
"I would like to thank Head Coach Justin Wieck for allowing me the opportunity to join the Bulldog basketball program two years ago as an assistant coach. We accomplished some unprecedented things in my short time at UMD and I will be forever grateful. The culture and players within this program truly are second to none.
My family and I had an incredible time in Duluth and cannot thank the community enough for embracing us. While we are sad to leave all the amazing people, our family is excited for the new opportunity ahead. We will still be cheering for the Bulldogs and cannot wait for their continued success.
#MakeMoves" - Ryan Kirsch
Kirsch came from Cedar Rapids Iowa, where he was the Assistant Coach at Kirkwood Community College during the 2018-19 season. Kirsch assisted in recruiting, team and individual workouts, monitored academic progress, and created scouting reports and game plans. Kirsch was a part of the staff that won the 2019 NJCAA National Championship. Kirsch was also named to the 2019 Under Armour NABC 30-Under 30 Team (Top 30 assistant coaches under age of 30).
"I'm so happy for Ryan and his family in his new position. Ryan had a tremendous impact on our program, helping us to 52 wins in the past two years. His hard work, dedication, and relationship based coaching is exactly why he's ready for his new head coaching position. We will be cheering him on from Bulldog Country!" - Head Coach Justin Wieck
Throughout his two seasons with the men's basketball program, Kirsch helped lead the Bulldogs to two consecutive Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Tournament Championship appearances and two consecutive NCAA Division II tournament berths. He played a major role in leading the Bulldogs to their first NCAA Elite Eight appearance in program history last season, and collected a 52-17 overall record as assistant coach to Justin Wieck.
