Carleton Knights

Ryan Kershaw enters his third season as the head coach of the Carleton Knights during the 2024-25 season. Kershaw, who has spent the past 11 years at Carleton, served in his first season as an assistant coach during the 2013-14 season and served as the program’s associate head coach for three seasons prior to taking the reins as the 12^th head coach in program history following the 2021-22 campaign.

Since taking over as head coach, the program has experienced two of the most successful years in program history. In their first season under Kershaw's direction, the Knights went 24-4 (.857) overall, breaking the program record for victories in a single year. Carleton was 17-3 in conference action, winning the MIAC's regular-season title by four games and earning him the league's Coach of the Year Award. This was the 20th conference title in program history but the first outright crown since 1965-66.
 
The Knights then claimed the MIAC Playoff Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history. Along the way, Carleton received its first-ever top-25 national ranking from D3hoops.com. Kershaw joined Guy Kalland (2005-06) as the only Carleton men's basketball coaches to earn the NABC's Region Coach of the Year Award.
 
Under Kershaw’s direction this past season, the Knights compiled a 17-9 overall record and second place finish in the MIAC regular season standings. Carleton received a bye and hosted a semi-final round home game in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history. The Knights finished the regular season ranked second among all MIAC teams in offensive efficiency, third in effective field goal percentage, second in offensive rebound percentage and third in turnover rate. Through his first two seasons, Kershaw ranks third among NCAA Division III men’s basketball coaches with a .759 career win percentage (41-13). 
 
Kershaw has coached six All-MIAC selections over the past two seasons, including MIAC Offensive Player of the Year Luke Harris ’25. Following the 2022-23 season, Jeremy Beckler ’23 became the first Carleton men's basketball player selected to participate in the Reese's NABC Division III All-Star game in Ft. Wayne, Ind.
 
During his time at Carleton, eight Knights have received All-Region honors, which includes three All-Americans, three Jostens Trophy finalists, and former Knight Freddie Gillespie, who was one of two former NCAA Division III players to play in the NBA during the 2021-22 season.
 
A native of Huffman, Texas, Kershaw earned his bachelor's degree from St. Olaf College in 2004 and his master's degree in leadership from Augsburg in 2013. A fixture in the MIAC, Kershaw has spent the past 24 seasons as a student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach at three different institutions within the conference.