CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston athletic department announced the hiring of Kyron Cartwright as assistant men's basketball coach. Cartwright will also be an area coordinator in residential life for UMN Crookston. Cartwright comes to UMN Crookston after serving as an assistant coach at Saint Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights, Minn. Cartwright was a prolific player at Providence College, earning Second Team All-Big East Accolades as a junior for the Friars. Cartwright also played three seasons professionally in Europe.

"We are thrilled to add Kyron to our coaching staff," said Head Coach Bryan Beamish. "He is a high character person with a playing resume that speaks for itself. He is going to be a great fit in our men's basketball program and I'm very happy to finalize our coaching staff with someone of his caliber."

He joins the first staff at UMN Crookston under new Head Coach Bryan Beamish. He will serve as an assistant coach alongside former Golden Eagle student-athlete Tim Lubke, who enters his second season as an assistant coach for the program.

Cartwright was a two-year starter for the Friars, averaging 11.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and a conference-leading 6.7 assists per game during his junior season. He earned All-Big East honors as a junior, as well as earning the conference's Most Improved Player. As a freshman, Cartwright backed up Kris Dunn, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2016 draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. As a senior, Cartwright led the Big East with 5.8 assists per game, and notched 11.4 points, and 3.0 rebounds per game. He was named 2018 Big East Honorable Mention. He was named the MVP of the 2017 2K Sports Classic and was named to the 2018 Big East All-Tournament Team. Cartwright was a team captain for the Friars. He played in the NCAA Tournament all four seasons at Providence. Cartwright was a member of the Big East All-Academic Team from 2016-18.

Cartwright went on to a professional career, playing in Hungary, England, and Germany. Cartwright averaged 8.6 points per game in NBIA action for Alba Fehervar in Hungary during the 2018-19 season. He dished out 8.75 assists per game in 12 games for the Leicester Riders in England in 2019-20. He led the Leicester Riders to the highest win percentage in the league. He led the British Basketball League in assists per game. Cartwright assisted the coaching staff with 50 percent of the defensive game planning. During the 2020-21 season, he averaged 8.32 points and 5.72 assists per game for the Phoenix Hagen in Germany.

As an assistant for the 2021-22 season at Saint Thomas Academy, Cartwright helped the squad to a 16-12 mark. Saint Thomas Academy made it to the Section 3AAA semifinal, where they lost to South St. Paul H.S. At Saint Thomas Academy, he worked under Head Coach Khalid El-Amin, who won a NCAA Division I National Championship as a player at the University of Connecticut and went on to a successful career in the NBA and overseas. The team made the Section 3AAA semifinal after a three-win season the year prior. Cartwright led player development for athletes in grades 7-12.

In addition, Cartwright co-hosted the Big East Shootaround Show with John Fanta and Hall of Fame Coach Jim Calhoun for the Big East Digital Network at the Big East Conference Tournament in 2019 and 2022. Cartwright also worked for ABC 6 in Providence, R.I. assisting in coverage of four professional sports teams including the Boston Celtics, New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, and Pawtucket Red Sox. He filmed and collected videos of the professional sports team. He cut, edited, and produced segments to be aired on the news.

Cartwright obtained his Bachelor of Arts in sports media from Providence College in 2018. He is originally from Compton, Calif.