Submitted Photo Minot High head boys’ basketball coach Dean Winczewski addresses his team during a timeout during the Magicians’ game against Dickinson on Jan. 14. After 17 years at the helm, Winczewski is stepping down as head coach of the program. Photo by Mason Kramer

When Jaxson Gunville first stepped on Dean Winczewski’s basketball court at Minot High School, he didn’t appreciate how important defense was. It didn’t take long for Gunville to get the message.

“I didn’t really understand the importance of playing both sides of the ball,” said Gunville. “I was more of an offensive-minded guy, and he really instilled in me, in a lot of us, our team as a whole, tough, gritty, defense.”

Gunville’s first varsity season came after a three-year stretch when the Magicians won three consecutive state titles under Winczewski, going a combined 79-4. The coach would add a final title in 2022.

On Sunday, March 23, 2025, Winczewski announced his retirement from coaching after 25 years, 17 of them in Minot.

“I was talking to a friend of mine that I looked up to in coaching, and we were talking a number of years ago about how he knew that it was time, and he said, ‘you’ll know,'” said Winczewski. “And as the year went along, this year, I just knew.”

Winczewski doesn’t carry any bitterness or anger, and still loves the game and the kids he’s gotten to coach.

“It’s an opportunity for me to put my passion into other things,” said Winczewski. “The first four years here is going to be a passion of following my kids around and watching the compete.”

Winczewski’s son Andrew throws for Valley City State University’s track and field team. Another son, Aric, signed to play basketball at Dickinson State next year, and his youngest son Alex is a sophomore for Minot High.

“Alex is going to be playing for hopefully three years here at Minot High and just getting an opportunity to watch them all will be for me and my wife pretty special,” said Winczewski.

Just being a dad at games is something he is particularly looking forward to.

“Not many people understand because they haven’t coached their kid in a varsity sport, but you don’t really get to enjoy it as much as you’d hope because you’re constantly analyzing the game. You’re looking at things, and you’re not getting to watch them play.”

His coaching philosophy was simple. It started with defense and rebounding, and once that was down, his teams found ways to be successful on offense. According to Winczewski, his success came down to having great kids who bought into competing hard and feeding for each other, while doing the little things right.

“A lot of it was really simple things, and just trying to give them a little bit of a framework to work from and letting them go,” said Winczewski.

At times, Winczewski earned a reputation for being a hard coach, but Gunville saw it another way, ultimately crediting his high school coach for setting him up for success at the collegiate level, where he eventually set the all-time three-point record at Minot State.

“He’s known for being hard on his guys, and sometimes that can come across negatively in the perception across the community, like he’s just yelling and screaming at people,” said Gunville. “But I truly believe that he’s got every, all the players’ best interest at heart. That helps for the collegiate level, because there’s a lot of hard coaching there as well, and some people can have a tough time moving on to that if they’ve never experienced it before. He was a big reason why I was able to manage the emotional and the mental side of things at the collegiate level.”

Before winning four state titles in Minot, he also won two state titles in Dickinson, one in 2003 and another in 2007. He finishes his career with six state titles, which is tied for the most by a coach in North Dakota history and over 400 career wins.

More than the wins and losses though, it’s the relationships along the way that he will miss most.

“It’s the relationships you get to build with these kids is something that I’ll never forget or regret or anything,” said Winczewski. “That’s the part that I’ll miss more than anything with not coaching anymore. It isn’t the games or the practices. It’s sitting around and talking to the kids and getting to know them. The relationships with the coaches on our staff and in our league. Those are the things that you really start to cherish.”