Northfield, Minn. ¬ -- While the Carleton College head men’s basketball program has had extremely stable leadership for a quarter-century, this year the Knights welcome some additional fresh faces to the sidelines as Ben Davis and Matt Christensen have joined the coaching staff.
In his first 25 years guiding the program, head coach Guy Kalland posted a 341-272 record, nearly 100 more victories than anyone else in Carleton history. His top assistant, Jim Hayes, enters his sixth season on the Knights’ bench after 10 seasons at Hamline University. That pair gives the Knights an impressive combination of experience, and they will have some company when the Knights open practice on Oct. 15. Both new assistants are very familiar with the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Davis as a coach and Christensen as a four-year player.
Davis worked as an assistant coach with the men’s basketball program at Macalester College during the 2008-09 season and has spent the last three summers as director/founder of the successful Minnesota Fury AAU program.
Davis knowledge of the Minnesota high school basketball scene includes previous stints on the coaching staffs at Blaine High School and Monticello High School. He also spent one year working with the Minnesota Magic AAU system.
He lives in Minneapolis and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in coaching education through the University of Ohio.
Christensen did not have far to travel after accepting a spot on the Knights’ staff. A Northfield, Minn. native, he played four seasons at Carleton’s cross-town rival, St. Olaf College, where he graduated in 2009 with a B.A. in political science. Christensen was the Oles starting point guard last year, ranking fifth among conference players in assists and was one of the league’s premier defenders. In addition to working several basketball camps, he was head coach of the Wear Out the Net 17-and-under AAU team.
“We are fortunate to have both these young men on our staff,” noted Kalland, “and we will immerse them in to every facet of our program.”
