Jeff Oseth, a seasoned and highly respected basketball coach with a career spanning over three decades, has been awarded the prestigious Coaching Service Award in recognition of his 30 years of dedication to the sport and his players.
Coach Oseth began his career as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM), where he worked under Hall of Fame coach Dave Schellhase. Reflecting on Oseth’s early career, Coach Schellhase shared: “I had the privilege of coaching Jeff when he was a college player and then coaching alongside him. Jeff took his passion, love of the game, knowledge, energy, and respect for the game of basketball and passed it along to his players. His teams are always prepared, fundamentally sound, and competitive. This is a tribute to the skill and dedication of their coach. I salute Jeff as a solid coach, as well as a dedicated teacher of young people. His players are fortunate to call him their coach.”
Oseth continued his collegiate coaching journey at the University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC), where he worked with another Hall of Fame coach, Gary Senske. Under Senske’s mentorship, Oseth quickly established himself as a hardworking and impactful leader.
“Jeff is a tremendous coach,” said Senske. “He works extremely hard at the profession. His teams have always played hard; they work together well and leave it all on the floor every night. Jeff is an outstanding coach and has touched the lives of countless young men in his thirty years of coaching.”
Oseth was named head coach of the Golden Eagles in 2002, leading UMC through a critical transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II. Under his leadership, the program reached new heights:
- Secured his first college coaching win against the No. 5 ranked University of North Dakota.
- Defeated seven nationally ranked top 10 teams during his tenure.
- Recruited and developed 9 All-Conference players, 2 All-Americans, and 2 NSIC Freshmen of the Year.
- Coached Joe Hasz, who became the NSIC’s all-time leading scorer.
- Led UMC to 6th place finish in the ultra-competitive NSIC conference.
- Oseth’s program had a 97% graduation rate.
In 2022, Oseth took over as head coach at St. Michael-Albertville High School (STMA). In just three seasons, he revitalized the program, leading the Knights to back-to-back appearances in the Section 8AAAA Championship Game — the first such appearances in over a decade. Under Oseth’s leadership:
- STMA recorded its best-ever start for a new head coach in the 57-year history of the program.
- Captured 1st and 2nd place finishes in Section 8AAAA.
- Recorded the most wins for boys basketball in Lake Conference play in school history — widely regarded as the top boys basketball conference in Minnesota.
- Help developed six players in three years who went on to play at the collegiate level.
Oseth’s long-standing commitment to excellence, player development, and competitive integrity has left a lasting mark on every program he’s led.