The University of Minnesota Duluth men’s basketball team has a new face to its coaching staff. Head coach Justin Wieck has announced the addition of Carson Shanks to his staff on Tuesday. Shanks slid into his new role as assistant coach this past Monday.
“We are thrilled to welcome Carson to the Bulldog program,” said Wieck, who is in his second season as head coach. “Carson brings with him a tremendous amount of high-level basketball experience having played and coached at the Division I level. He will work closely with our forwards and play a pivotal role in their development as players. Carson has a great personality as well as strong-basketball ties across the Midwest, both which will be valuable in recruiting for our program moving forward. Our collective excitement for Carson to be a part of Bulldog Country is off-the-charts!”
Shanks, who will oversee the UMD post players in his coaching role, played three seasons at the University of North Dakota (2014-17) and one season at the Loyola University Chicago before signing a professional contract with the Gzira Athletica Basketball Club in Malta. He played overseas for a few months before eventually accepting the Video Coordinator position at his alma mater. During his four-year collegiate run, Shanks averaged 5.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and almost a full block per game. He left the Fighting Hawks with the eighth most blocked shots in school history and helped UND to its first NCAA Tournament appearance (2016-17) in the Division I era. Shanks also played a key role as a reserve for Loyola’s NCAA Final Four run his senior season, the team’s first Final Four bid since 1963.
A native of Apple Valley, Minn., Shanks was a four-year letterwinner at Prior Lake High School, where he was a two-time all-conference player in the South Suburban Conference. He was ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the state of Minnesota as a senior and helped the Lakers improve on their record each season, culminating with a 20-8 mark as a senior, the program’s best mark in a decade. From 2014-17, Shanks was the head coach and the social media director for the Grand Forks Fastbreak AAU Club.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to become a part of Coach Wieck’s staff as well as this on-the-rise UMD Bulldog program,” said Shanks. “I honestly can’t imagine a scenario more exciting than the one I am walking into. There really is an overwhelming sense of pride, not only in this community but in the university and athletic department as well, that just makes it so exciting to be a part of Bulldog Country. The strides that Coach Wieck and the team made this past season were very eye-opening considering the reputation that the NSIC has as a conference and I hope to be a part of the continued growth of this program. I truly could not be more elated to have this opportunity in front of me so that I help continue to build this program into one that this amazing university and city can be proud of.”
Shanks earned a B.A. Degree in communication from North Dakota and currently resides in Duluth.
https://umdbulldogs.com/news/2019/5/14/mens-basketball-shanks-named-new-assistant-coach.aspx
