Carroll College Athletic Director Charlie Gross has announced that Ryan Lundgren has been hired as the Head Coach of the Carroll College Men’s Basketball team.
Lundgren will become the 28th Head Coach in Carroll program history, replacing Kurt Paulson, who resigned earlier this month.
“I am pleased to welcome Ryan and Lexi Lundgren and their daughter London to Carroll and the Helena community.” Said Gross. “Ryan has a track record of being part of highly competitive basketball programs, where he has demonstrated his commitment to ensuring success on the court, achievement in the classroom, and engagement in the community. He is known to be a tireless recruiter who can connect with people easily. A shining attribute of Ryan is his emphasis on building life-long relationships with the student-athletes he coaches. With Ryan’s leadership, I am confident that the Carroll basketball program will continue to compete for Frontier Conference Championships, be a perennial power in the NAIA, and model excellence in all they do.”
Lundgren, an Idaho native, has a proven track record of success at numerous different levels of competition including collegiate, high school and club programs in the Idaho and greater Pacific Northwest area.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Carroll family as the 28th Head Basketball Coach in program history.” Said Lundgren. “The strong tradition of excellence at Carroll dates back many years and it is truly a blessing to be entrusted with the opportunity to carry on that storied tradition. Fans and community members can expect an exciting brand of basketball on the court, and young men of high character that the Helena community can be proud of, off the court. My family and I can’t wait to get started on this new adventure. Go Saints!”
Most recently, Lundgren has served as the Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at the College of Southern Idaho since 2019. His tenure at CSI has been extremely successful. This past season, the Golden Eagles finished the regular season undefeated (29-0) for the first time since 1977, finishing the year as the No. 1 team in the NJCAA Rankings. His time in Twin Falls saw CSI secure two Scenic West Conference regular season titles (2021,2023) and a conference tournament title in 2023. CSI made three straight appearances at the NCJAA National Tournament (2021,22,23). His teams at CSI the Scenic West Conference in defensive rebounding and field goal percentage against each of the last three seasons, and Lundgren has recruited and coached four NJCAA All-Americans over the past five seasons (Isaiah Moses, Rob Whaley, Mike Hood, Deng Dut).
Prior to his post at CSI, Lundgren was the Boy’s Head Coach at Vallivue High School in Caldwell, Idaho from 2015 to 2019. In his first two seasons at the helm, Lundgren’s teams surpassed the win total from the previous six seasons combined. He was named the 2016-17 Idaho Press Tribune Boy’s Athletics Coach of the Year, a year in which his team finished runner-up in the Idaho 4A State tournament. In 2018-19 the team finished as the 4A Southern Idaho Conference regular season champions.
A 2012 and 2015 (Bachelor of Arts: Journalism, Masters of Education) graduate of Boise State University, Lundgren got his start in the collegiate coaching ranks at his alma mater. He served as Director of Player Development for the Broncos from 2011-2015. The Broncos were highly successful while Lundgren was there, securing at-large bids to the 2013 and 2015 NCAA Tournaments. The Broncos tied a school-record with 25 wins in 2014-15 and earned their first Top-25 Ranking in program history en route to a Mountain West Conference Championship.
An introductory press conference will be held on Tuesday, June 27 at 11 a.m. in the Carroll College PE Center Team Meetings and Events Room. The conference will be open to the public and Saints fans are encouraged to attend.
NAIA NEWS: Lundgren named Head Basketball Coach at Carroll College
