MSU Moorhead head men’s basketball coach Tim Bergstraser has announced the elevation of Spenser Bland to Associate Head Coach. This comes following Bland’s tenure as the top assistant coach for the Dragons in 2022-23.
Bland helped elevate the Dragons to new heights during the 2022-23 season as the team finished with a 25-7 overall record while winning the NSIC Tournament Championship for the second year in a row. The Dragons received an automatic bid to the NCAA Regional Tournament, making it their third consecutive trip to the National Tournament.
The Dragons remained nationally ranked for most of the 2022-23 season reaching as high as number 13 in the country according to the NABC Coaches Poll. Bland oversees the offensive where the Dragons finished at the top of the conference in terms of offensive efficiency while being number one overall in the NSIC for scoring margin. The Dragons led the NCAA for turnovers per game, only flipping the ball over on average 8.2 times per contest. Bland played an instrumental part in the development of three Dragon players who achieved All-NSIC honors: Gavin Baumgartner, Jacob Beeninga and Lorenzo McGhee.
Prior to returning to MSUM, Bland spent the 2021-22 season at the University of Sioux Falls where he served as the program’s top assistant. During Bland’s time in Sioux Falls he helped the Cougars defeat the number one team in the country and eventual National Champions, Northwest Missouri State. The Cougars finished the season number one overall in the NSIC in offensive rebounding and total team rebounds. In Bland’s one year at USF, he saw one player earn All-NSIC team distinction, senior Matt Cartwright, who finished second in the league scoring 19.0 PPG.
Bland is no stranger to the Dragons as he spent three seasons as an assistant with Minnesota State University Moorhead from 2018-2021. During his time as an assistant at MSUM, Bland has helped the Dragons achieve an overall record of 49-29, finishing with a winning record in each season. In the 2020-21 season the Dragons reached the NSIC Tournament Championship game before qualifying for the NCAA Regional Tournament where they advanced to the round of 32. In Bland’s three years at MSUM he watched six players claim All-NSIC honors, including the 2020-21 NSIC newcomer of the year, Lorenzo McGhee.
Bland played a large role in the construction of the Dragons offense during his first stint in Moorhead. In the 2020-21 season he helped guide the Dragons to finish first in the NSIC in total scoring offense. During the 2019-20 campaign the MSUM offense finished second in the league in overall field-goal percentage. In Bland’s first year with the Dragons, they led the NSIC in both total scoring offense and offensive field goal percentage during the 2018-19 season. The Dragons ended the 2018-19 year with a record of 19-12, a 12-game improvement from the year prior to Bland’s arrival.
Before arriving at MSU Moorhead, Bland was a part of Adidas-sponsored AAU program D1 Minnesota where he served in various coaching roles for the program. In the 2018 AAU season, his team was the top-ranked 16U team for a stretch of the summer. Bland’s team went on to win the coveted Adidas Gauntlet Finale in New York City in July of 2018.
In Bland’s three years with the D1 Minnesota program he worked with and mentored over 20 high school athletes that earned a scholarship to play at the Division-1 level. Those players included two McDonald’s All-Americans, Matthew Hurt (2019) & Dawson Garcia (2020), as well as three eventual NBA players, Tyrell Terry (Memphis Grizzlies), Zeke Nnaji (Denver Nuggets) and Matthew Hurt (Houston Rockets).
Prior to his time in Moorhead, Bland worked for Prep Hoops where he acted as the Director of Grassroots Outreach. While at Prep Hoops, he had primary responsibilities of connecting with AAU programs and coaches around the country in efforts to promote and highlight the teams & athletes.
Bland also has experience coaching at the Class 4A and 3A level in Minnesota. He served on staff at Totino-Grace from 2017-18 and previously was on staff as an assistant coach at Blaine High School during the 2016-17 season. Prior to Blaine, Bland helped coach at his former high school, Heritage Christian Academy in the 2015-16 season.
Bland attended Bethel University where he was set to be a part of the men’s basketball team but prior to the season required reconstructive ankle surgery which cut his playing career short.
A native of Plymouth, Minn., Bland earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Media Communication from Bethel University in 2017. He then went on to receive his Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2019.
Bland Promoted to Associate Head Coach at MSU Moorhead
