Kyle Lindsted served as an assistant coach for three seasons (2015-18) under Gregg Marshall, helping the Shockers to an 82-22 record (.788) and three NCAA Tournament appearances. WSU won back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference regular season titles in 2016 and 2017 and also captured the 2017 MVC Tournament title.
Despite twice earning double-digit seeds, the Shockers won three NCAA Tournament games in Lindsted first two years on staff. Led by NBA-bound seniors Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet, 11th-seeded WSU defeated Vanderbilt in the 2016 First Four and surprised No. 6 seed Arizona in the Round of 64. A year later, the Shockers downed Dayton in the first round before losing a close battle against No. 2 seed Kentucky.
WSU transitioned to the American Athletic Conference prior to the 2017-18 season and went wire-to-wire in the nation's top-25. Led by NBA first round draft pick Landry Shamet, the Shockers finished runner-up in the conference standings and earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Season highlights included a win at fifth-ranked Cincinnati that ended the Bearcat's nation-best 39-game home winning streak.
Lindsted departed WSU on May 11, 2018 for a similar positon at Minnesota.
Lindsted came to WSU in the spring of 2015 after 15 years at Sunrise Christian Academy, where he built a nationally-prominent high school and prep basketball program from the ground up. From 2000 to 2015, Lindsted served as athletic director and head basketball coach at the small private school located just north of Wichita. His program produced an incredible 35 NCAA Division I players, including Shockers Brett Barney, Zach Brown, C.J. Keyser and Rauno Nurger.
His most notable Sunrise alum was Buddy Hield, the 2016 consensus national player of the year at Oklahoma and the sixth overall pick by the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans in the 2016 NBA Draft. Two other graduates - Lourawis ‘Tum-Tum’ Nairn and Marvin Clark - helped lead Michigan State to the 2015 Final Four.
“Having gotten to know Kyle, I feel we share a similar ideology and recipe for success,” Marshall said when announcing Lindsted's hiring. “We both believe in the importance of seeking out talented young men who also possess high character. I’ve watched him grow as a coach and builder of a program and have been highly impressed.”
Lindsted said: “Growing up in Wichita as a Shocker fan, it’s a dream come true to be in this position. Coach Marshall has established a basketball culture here that I identify with, built on toughness, hard work and doing the right thing. I feel blessed by the Lord to have this opportunity.”
His father founded Sunrise in 1987, but it was Lindsted who put its basketball program on the map. After taking over the basketball program in 2000, he slowly built his alma mater from a relative unknown – even locally - into one of the nation’s most-respected high school programs, securing full Nike sponsorship and a multi-year contract with ESPN’s National High School Invitational.
In each of his last three years, Sunrise was ranked in the top 25 nationally. In his final game, Lindsted’s team captured the 2015 Bluegrass National Championship in Kentucky.
Lindsted’s success is rooted in his insistence on helping players mature in all aspects of life – including those outside of basketball – and his ability to form genuine, lasting relationships with the people around him.
In 2010, Sunrise produced a pair of Division I signees – the first of the Lindsted era – setting the wheels in motion.
A growing track record of on-court success, mixed with Linsted’s reputation as a strong mentor, turned Sunrise into a destination spot for talented prospects looking to reach the next level.
In 2014 Sunrise’s high school and recently formed post-graduate team would combine to send 12 student-athletes to D-1 schools. Three additional players with Sunrise ties landed at the D-1 level via the JUCO ranks.
In 2015, 10 more Sunrise alums signed on to D-1 programs.
Linsted earned his undergraduate degree at Central Christian College in McPherson, Kan. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Anita, and the couple have six children: Casey, Cody, Chase, Cayden, C.J., and Cyleigh.
