Men's Basketball
Shawn Dirden
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- shawn.dirden@msubobcats.com
- Phone:
- 406.994.2331
Shawn Dirden enters his second season in 2020-21 as part of Danny Sprinkle’s staff. Dirden, who had two previous stints in Bozeman on the Montana State bench, spent the previous three seasons as the head coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State.
“I’m just extremely blessed and excited to return to MSU,” Dirden said when he was hired. “This is both a great career opportunity and personal opportunity because of my family and our experience in Bozeman. It’s one of the best places we’ve ever lived. The people, the fans, the college, the community, it’s a place that holds a deep place in our hearts.
“With Danny I have played against him, worked with him and made it a point to stay connected to him. I’m looking forward to working as hard as I can to help him and the Bobcat program reach new heights. I’m excited about our staff and to work again with all the great athletic department staff members and coaches throughout MSU.”
While playing a significant role in bringing talent to Montana State, Dirden has helped the Bobcats make important strides on the defensive side of the floor as the Bobcats featured one of the more dramatic turnarounds in Division I basketball on the defensive side of the floor during the 2019-20 season. While MSU’s offense continued to be among the top half of programs shooting from the field and at the free throw line, its defense made legitimate improvements. The Bobcats’ scoring defense went from 336th in the NCAA to 111th between two seasons. MSU was outshot by opponents in just 11 games during the 2019-20 season as MSU ranked in the top 100 in defensive rebounds per game, field goal percentage defense and 3-point field goal defense.
While at Northwestern Oklahoma State, the Rangers compiled a 42-42 overall record. That includes a 22-7 campaign during the 2017-18 season under Dirden’s watch. The overall mark was the fifth best in the program’s history and featured the Rangers’ first postseason berth as an NCAA Division II team.
Before becoming head coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State, Dirden completed stints as an assistant at MSU, South Dakota and North Dakota. Dirden previously served as a member of the Montana State coaching staff from 2004-06 and 2012-14. He spent one year at South Dakota prior to his second stop in Bozeman. Dirden worked on the North Dakota staff before his first experience as a college head coach, where he contributed to UND’s rise in the win column, improving from 8-22 to 17-16 overall during a two-year span.
In over 10 years of collegiate coaching experience, Dirden has aided in a variety of roles. He’s served as recruiting coordinator at both the high school and junior college levels. He’s also been in charge of player development and overseen scouting and development of game plans.
Dirden’s coaching career began in his hometown of Denver where he served as head coach at George Washington High School from 2002-05. During that time, he operated an AAU squad and Focus on Basketball, a Denver youth organization. His next stop came as an assistant at Indian Hills Community College.
Dirden’s coaching career followed his college and professional basketball playing experience. Dirden played overseas in Holland, Sweden, China, Lebanon and Venezuala for several years. He was MVC Donar (Holland) Team MVP in 2001-02. Dirden spent his first two years in the college ranks at Otero Junior College before competing in successful seasons as a standout forward at the University of Idaho. He started 46 of his 54 games played at Idaho and scored 596 points, averaging 11.0 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Dirden holds a bachelor’s degree from Idaho in secondary education. He also obtained a master's degree in athletic administration.
The son of former NFL player Johnnie Dirden, Shawn Dirden and his wife Sierra have a son, Damien, and daughter, Taylor.
“I’m just extremely blessed and excited to return to MSU,” Dirden said when he was hired. “This is both a great career opportunity and personal opportunity because of my family and our experience in Bozeman. It’s one of the best places we’ve ever lived. The people, the fans, the college, the community, it’s a place that holds a deep place in our hearts.
“With Danny I have played against him, worked with him and made it a point to stay connected to him. I’m looking forward to working as hard as I can to help him and the Bobcat program reach new heights. I’m excited about our staff and to work again with all the great athletic department staff members and coaches throughout MSU.”
While playing a significant role in bringing talent to Montana State, Dirden has helped the Bobcats make important strides on the defensive side of the floor as the Bobcats featured one of the more dramatic turnarounds in Division I basketball on the defensive side of the floor during the 2019-20 season. While MSU’s offense continued to be among the top half of programs shooting from the field and at the free throw line, its defense made legitimate improvements. The Bobcats’ scoring defense went from 336th in the NCAA to 111th between two seasons. MSU was outshot by opponents in just 11 games during the 2019-20 season as MSU ranked in the top 100 in defensive rebounds per game, field goal percentage defense and 3-point field goal defense.
While at Northwestern Oklahoma State, the Rangers compiled a 42-42 overall record. That includes a 22-7 campaign during the 2017-18 season under Dirden’s watch. The overall mark was the fifth best in the program’s history and featured the Rangers’ first postseason berth as an NCAA Division II team.
Before becoming head coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State, Dirden completed stints as an assistant at MSU, South Dakota and North Dakota. Dirden previously served as a member of the Montana State coaching staff from 2004-06 and 2012-14. He spent one year at South Dakota prior to his second stop in Bozeman. Dirden worked on the North Dakota staff before his first experience as a college head coach, where he contributed to UND’s rise in the win column, improving from 8-22 to 17-16 overall during a two-year span.
In over 10 years of collegiate coaching experience, Dirden has aided in a variety of roles. He’s served as recruiting coordinator at both the high school and junior college levels. He’s also been in charge of player development and overseen scouting and development of game plans.
Dirden’s coaching career began in his hometown of Denver where he served as head coach at George Washington High School from 2002-05. During that time, he operated an AAU squad and Focus on Basketball, a Denver youth organization. His next stop came as an assistant at Indian Hills Community College.
Dirden’s coaching career followed his college and professional basketball playing experience. Dirden played overseas in Holland, Sweden, China, Lebanon and Venezuala for several years. He was MVC Donar (Holland) Team MVP in 2001-02. Dirden spent his first two years in the college ranks at Otero Junior College before competing in successful seasons as a standout forward at the University of Idaho. He started 46 of his 54 games played at Idaho and scored 596 points, averaging 11.0 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Dirden holds a bachelor’s degree from Idaho in secondary education. He also obtained a master's degree in athletic administration.
The son of former NFL player Johnnie Dirden, Shawn Dirden and his wife Sierra have a son, Damien, and daughter, Taylor.
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