Shawn Dirden will be entering his third season at the helm of the Ranger Men's Basketball team this upcoming 2018-19 season.
In just his second season, Dirden's Rangers saw a huge jump from year one where the team finished 22-7 overall, including a second place finish in the GAC. The squad made it to the semifinals of the conference tournament.
Transfer, Treyvon Andres had a big year and took home Newcomer of the Year honors while teammates and seniors, Brandon Green and Cody Halvorson earned Honorable Mention status.
In Dirden's first season at the helm of Ranger basketball, his team established themselves as an up-and-coming force to be reckoned with in the GAC. Adrian Motley concluded his Ranger career under the guidance of Dirden by moving up to 5th all-time on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,493 career points.
Motley's 20.2 scoring average and 7.8 rebounds per game placed him in the top five in both conference categories, awarding him First-Team All-GAC honors during Dirden's first year. Motley and company also succeeded in Dirden's high-pressure style of defense that allowed the team to average the most steals per game (8.9) in the conference. That tenacious defense and fundamental approach on the offensive side of the ball allowed the Rangers to lead the league in turnover differential as well (+2.50).
Dirden joins the Ranger family after a two-year stint at the University of North Dakota where he was an assistant for the Fighting Hawks.
As part of the UND coaching staff, Dirden was responsible for player development of guards and post players as well as a recruiter of both the high school and junior college levels.
During his first season at North Dakota, the team finished the season at 8-22 with a 4-14 record in the Big Sky conference, but with his assistance, they made a large jump forward this past season, finishing above .500 in both overall record at 17-16 and in league play at 10-8.
Prior to assisting at UND, Dirden was a member of the Montana State from both 2006-2008 and 2014-2016 where he was tasked with being the Recruiting Coordinator. He was also in charge of player development of both guards and post players as well as scouting and development of game plans.
Dirden was also a member of the University of South Dakota coaching staff during the 2005-2006 season, following a three-year stint at Cherokee Trail High School in Aurora, Colo. where he was the head coach for the Varsity, sophomore and freshmen teams.
Before becoming head coach at Cherokee Trail, Dirden tested the college ranks of coaching at Indian Hills Community College as an assistant for one year before taking his second head coaching position.
His first head coaching opportunity came at George Washington high school in Denver, Colo. where he spent three seasons.
Prior to his coaching career, Dirden played professional basketball, which included both overseas play in Venezuela, Lebanon, China, Sweden, Korea and Holland. Dirden also participated in the Phoenix Suns' rookie and veterans camp in 1997 before playing for the Idaho Stampede in the Continental Basketball Association. He also spent time with the Columbus Cagerz of the United States Basketball League.
His father was also a professional athlete as he played in the NFL for three seasons.
What led him to his professional playing days were his years at both the University of Idaho where he attained his bachelor's in Secondary Education: History and Political Science in 2002 and at Otero Junior College where he played for his mentor, Franz for two seasons.
Dirden and his wife, Sierra, have a son, Damian (10) and a daughter Taylor (6).
