Submitted Photo Minot State head coach Mark Graupe, left, assistant Taylor Henningsgard, seniors Mariah Payne, Danielle Rizzari, Reina Strand, assistant Maverick Harris and assistant Ryan Clark posed prior to the 2019-20 Senior Night game. Photo by Sean Arbaut/MSU.

The Minot State women’s basketball program has a new leader, and it’s a familiar face from just a few hours down the road.

Minot State’s Vice President for Student Affairs and Intercollegiate Athletics, Kevin Harmon, announced Friday that Ryan Clark has accepted the position of head women’s basketball coach for the Beavers and will begin his duties leading the program starting Monday.

“Ryan’s coaching experience in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and his familiarity with recruiting in this region separated him from other candidates,” Harmon said. “Ryan Clark is also an exceptional human being who will treat our student-athletes and others with respect.”

Clark spent the last two seasons as the head women’s basketball coach and assistant athletic director at Lake Region State College in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, just 125 miles down the road, but before that he spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the Minot State women’s basketball team (2019-21).

“I am very excited for this opportunity,” Coach Clark said. “Minot State University and the community are a very special place to my wife (Sheridan) and I. To be able to come back and to be the new head women’s basketball coach is a surreal opportunity, but one I am very grateful for; I cannot wait to get to campus and start building relationships and coaching these amazing student-athletes within the program.

“I am a firm believer in what we can achieve here with the women’s basketball program,” Minot State’s newest head coach added. “This is a special place with special people who make it so amazing for everyone involved in the university and community. Not many opportunities come along like this, so I knew I had to go after it with both hands.”

Over the past two seasons at Lake Region, Clark guided the Royals to back-to-back 20-12 seasons which included an upset of No. 21-ranked North Dakota State College of Science, 87-85, during the 2022-23 season and a trip to the Region XIII semifinals that year.

“I believe Ryan is an up-and-coming coach who will be able to build a championship-caliber program and accomplish it while maintaining the highest standards of integrity,” Harmon said. “He’s an educator at heart, and he understands the awesome responsibility placed on him being a teacher and a coach.”

Prior to taking over leadership of the Royals, Clark spent one season with NSIC rival Northern State as an assistant coach after his two seasons as an assistant in Minot. He began his collegiate coaching career at Dickinson State where he was an assistant for the men’s basketball program for the 2018-19 season.

That experience at Minot State, the experience of coaching in the NSIC, and recruiting and coaching within North Dakota and the region all will be of great benefit to the Beavers’ new coach.

“It gives me a head start as I have a good understanding of Minot and the NSIC conference,” Clark said. “At the same time, the NSIC is a great conference with great players and coaches. I look forward to continuing to grow the women’s basketball program at Minot and compete within the NSIC conference.”

While Coach Clark knows Minot and the NSIC, the first goal for the Beavers’ new coach is getting on campus and getting to know his new team which he said is “priority No. 1. Finishing out the semester strong with workouts, classes, and setting up summer workout plans with them all.

“Outside of that, I’m looking forward to meeting and catching up with the many great people of Minot State University and the community.”

While Coach Clark looks forward to getting to know his team and reuniting with Minot, what can Beaver fans look forward to from their new coach and his team?

“We are going to play a fast brand of basketball, constantly looking to put pressure on the opposition team with our pace and space,” Clark said. “We hope to play a style that will allow our players to be successful in it, and one that fans will enjoy watching.”

A native of Adelaide, Australia, coach Clark began his collegiate playing career at Lake Region State College before playing and earning his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Dickinson State in 2018. Clark earned his Master’s in Sports Management from Minot State in 2020 while an assistant coach for the Beavers.

He returns to Minot with his wife, Sheridan, and their son, Finn.

“I’m very excited to welcome Ryan, his wife Sheridan, and their son, Finn, to the Minot State family!” Harmon said.