Men's Basketball | 10/7/2026 10:16:00 AM

Crookston, Minn. -- Minnesota Crookston men's basketball and head coach Bryan Beamish announced the schedule for the 2026-27 season on Wednesday morning.

Beamish is headed into his fifth season at the helm of the Golden Eagles and 13th overall at Minnesota Crookston.

Coach Beamish is excited about his team and knows the challenges the schedule presents.

"We are very excited about this year's schedule.  We will get tested right away with our home opener on November 9th against St. Cloud State and I know our guys are up for the challenge," said Beamish. 

The Golden Eagles have traditionally scheduled extremely tough in the non-conference under Beamish' tenure and that continues in 2026-27.

"Our non-conference schedule is highlighted by a Thanksgiving trip to Florida to play two tough Sunshine State Conference opponents. We always look to schedule tough opponents early to help prepare us for the weekly battles in the NSIC." 

Minnesota Crookston, who opened practice on Monday afternoon, will get the season started with an exhibition against Division I power North Dakota State on Monday, Nov. 2 with an exhibition in Fargo.

The Bison are coming off an appearance in the NCAA Tournament a season ago when they fell to Michigan State in the first round. The Golden Eagles and Bison will meet for the fourth time in Beamish' tenure.

Following the exhibition with the Bison, Minnesota Crookston will open the season at home for the first time in 13 years on Monday, Nov. 9, when they host NSIC rival St. Cloud State in a non-conference affair. The Huskies and Valley City State on Nov. 17 will be the two non-conference home games for the Golden Eagles.

The Golden Eagles will once again see a challenging schedule outside the NSIC. Minnesota Crookston will head to Oklahoma and play Central Oklahoma and Northwestern Oklahoma State University on Nov. 13-14.

The Golden Eagles will head back to the Sunshine State after Thanksgiving and play Saint Leo University and Florida Southern College. Minnesota Crookston has never played the Lions or the Mocs. Coach Beamish spent a season at Saint Leo as a graduate assistant.

The start of conference play will be sandwiched between conference play, as the Golden Eagles will welcome in MSU Moorhead for a midweek game on Nov. 24 to open conference play.

December will feature three home games for the Golden Eagles, as they will welcome in Bemidji State, Minot State and the University of Mary.

January will see the Golden Eagles at home for two weekends against Concordia-St. Paul and Winona State to open January and close January against Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. The South opponents on the road for Minnesota Crookston will be in back-to-back weekends at Augustana and Wayne State College and St. Cloud State and Minnesota State.

The Golden Eagles will see a number of opponents twice this season: St. Cloud State, MSU Moorhead, Bemidji State, Jamestown, Minnesota Duluth, Minot State, Northern State and UMary.

Minnesota Crookston returns a quality core from last year's squad, including standout sophomores Spencer Swenson (So., F, Sauk Rapids, Minn.) and Donez Lindsey (So., G, Stockton, Calif.). Owen Chervestad (So., G, Oklee, Minn.), Brady Westphal (So., G, Fargo, N.D.) and Quincy Everson (So., G, Goodyear, Ariz.) are also part of the sophomore class that played big roles a season ago.

Alijah Washington (Sr., G, San Jose, Calif.), Kazadi Mukoma, Jr. (Sr., F, Grand Island, Neb.), J.D. Roberts (Jr., F, Parkville, Mo.) and Brayden Carlson (Jr., C, Woodbury, Minn.) are key contributors, as well. Transfers Q On'gele (Jr., G/F, Portland, Ore.), Jake Williams (Jr., F, Sacramento, Calif.) and Ethan Koltz (Jr., C, Sioux Falls, S.D.) could make key impacts as well. The Golden Eagles also have three freshmen on the roster.

The Golden Eagles open the season in a little more than a month, at home against St. Cloud State on Nov. 9.