Former Carroll player and assistant coach Kurt Paulson was named the 27th head coach of the Carroll College Men's Basketball program on April 12, 2018.
Paulson has twice been named Frontier Conference Coach of the Year (2019, 2022)
Last Season: Paulson guided his Saints to another Frontier Conference Regular Season Championship, and a 29-5 overall record. For the first time in Carroll history, the Saints were a host pod for the opening round of the NAIA National Basketball tournament. Pauslon's Saints advanced to the round of 32 before falling to Jamestown. Jovan Sljivancanin was named Frontier Conference Player of the year, as well as a First Team All-American, and Shamrock Campbell was named a Third Team All-American. Carroll was one of only four schools to have multiple All-American selections.
In his third season as the head coach for the Saints, Paulson helped navigate his team through all kinds of Covid protocols to a 20-8 record. After a slow start, the Saints caught fire behind All-Americans Shamrock Campbell and Jovan Sljivancanin and finished second in the Frontier Conference. They were able to continue their winning ways into the NAIA National Tournament winning two games at their opening round regional site to advance to Kansas City. After knocking out No. 2 William Penn in the round of 16, the Saints' season came to an end in the Elite Eight against SAGU (Texas). As previously mentioned, Jovan Sljivancanin was selected as a second team All-American and Shamrock Campbell received honorable mention All-American honors. Sljivancanin and Campbell were both named first team all-conference, with Campbell also being named the Frontier's Defensive Player of the Year. Ifeanyi Okeke was the Sixth Man of the Year in the Frontier Conference as well.
2019-20: Paulson and the Fighting Saints qualified for nationals as an at-large bid, posting a 24-9 record while finishing as the runner-up in the Frontier Conference. Senior Dane Warp was named a second team All-American, while sophomore Jovan Sljivancanin became an honorable mention All-American. Warp also qualified as a CoSIDA Academic All-American, while six other Fighting Saints were honored as academic all-conference picks. Warp was named first team all-conference, while Sljivancanin became a second team all-conference choice. Sophomore guard Shamrock Campbell was an honorable mention all-conference pick and guard Dennis Flowers III was honored as the Freshman of the Year.
2018-19: Paulson guided the Saints to their first national championship appearance in school history, falling 68-48 to Georgetown (Kentucky).
Paulson knows what it takes to reach the highest levels of the NAIA, because he has been there. He was a starter on
Gary Turcott's Carroll 2005 NAIA Semifinal team and the 2006 NAIA Quarterfinal team. After graduating from Carroll with a degree in Business Administration and Health and Physical Education, he then stepped into an assistant coach role on the 2007-08 and 08-09 teams that had a combined record of 43-16 and went to the 2008 NAIA Tournament.
Before the 09-10 season, he was hired as a graduate assistant under Wayne Tinkle at Montana where he was part of two teams that played in the postseason, making the NCAA Tournament in 2010 and the CBI in 2011.
He was hired as the head coach and Activities Director of Bigfork High School and led the Vikings to the Class B semifinals in 2013 before returning to the Montana staff as an assistant coach for the 2013-14 season.
He made the move to Oregon State with Tinkle in June of 2014 where he took the role as the Director of Basketball Operations.
Paulson is married to his wife Kari, a Missoula native, they have three sons Kruz, Kai, and Kaler.
By The Numbers
Seasons: 4
Record: 102-30
Carroll year by year
YEAR W–L
2021-22 29-5 (NAIA Round of 32)
2020-21 20-8 (NAIA Elite Eight Appearance)
2019-20 24-9 (NAIA Tournament Qualifier)
2018-19 29-8 (National Championship appearance)
