coaches
Head Coach - Gary Turcott
Carroll College head Coach Gary Turcott has spent the past 18 seasons at the helm for the Fighting Saints. Often referred to as the Dean of Frontier Conference coaches, Turcott enters the 2008 NAIA National Tournament with a combined record of 356-215, which is a winning percentage of 62%. Over the past eight seasons Coach Turcott and the Saints have a combined record of 199-63 for an impressive winning percentage of 76%. During that stretch Carroll has qualified for the NAIA National Tournament six times.
The 2006-07 season saw many new faces take the court for Carroll. Despite being extremely young, the Saints still managed to win 20 games, and entered the final week of the regular season in a tie for first place in frontier. Carroll would advance to the Frontier Conference Tournament Semifinals and finish the year with a final record of 20-11.
The 2005-06 Men's basketball season was full of milestones. Coach Turcott surpassed the 300-victory mark, with a 90-75 win over Montana Tech at the Carroll College PE Center back on January 19th. The Saints were ranked in the NAIA Top Ten for the duration of the 2005-06 campaign. Carroll won both the Frontier Conference regular season championship as well as the Frontier Conference Tournament Title. To Cap off an amazing year the Saints advanced to the Elite Eight at the NAIA National Tournament and were defeated 73-70 by eventual Champion Texas-Wesleyan. The Saints finished the year with a school record 30-4 record.
In 2004 Coach Turcott lead the Frontier Conference Champion Fighting Saints into uncharted waters as Carroll advanced to the NAIA "FAB FOUR." This not only marked the first time that a Carroll College team had advanced beyond the first round of the national tournament, but also the first time in the History of the Frontier Conference that a team advanced beyond the "Sweet 16". The Saints who set a school record with 28 wins bowed out of the "Fab Four" against eventual National Champions John Brown of Arkansas.
During Coach Turcott's career at Carroll he has earned Frontier Coach of the Year Honors five times. His teams have won Frontier Championships in 1992, 97, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2008. The Saints finished second in 1994, 1995, 2002 and 2003. The Fighting Saints have advanced to the NAIA National Tournament only seven times in the past 40 years, but all were under the leadership of Coach Turcott, as his 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2008 teams advanced and were nationally ranked.
Prior to Carroll College, Coach Turcott was the head boy's basketball coach at Great Falls High School for 11 seasons. Coach Turcott received his master's degree in Counseling from the University of Montana and his bachelor's degree in Social Studies from Carroll. As a Saint, Turcott played football for Coach Tom Kelly from 1964-68. He is originally from Billings, MT, and graduated from Billings Senior High School. Turcott's wife Donna is a retired teacher from the Helena School District. They have five children, Greg, Julie Ann, Ryan, Angela, and Julie.
Assistant Coach - Brandon Veltri
Email Brandon / 447-5519
Coach Veltri returns for his fifth season as assistant coach for the Fighting Saints. Veltri is the Saint's head recruiting coordinator, oversees in-season scouting of opponents, leads the skill development efforts of the Saint's post players, and assists with scheduling and travel.
During Veltri's time at Carroll the Saints have a combined record of 97-33.
During that time the Saints have either hit or exceeded the twenty win mark three times. During the 2005 and 2006 campaign the Saints won back-to-back Frontier Conference Championships, and advanced to the NAIA "Fab Four" in 2005 and "Elite Eight" in 2006. In 2005 the Saints set a school record for total wins during a season with 28, which was eclipsed during 2006 when Carroll finished the year with 30 wins.
Over the past four seasons the Saints have had 9 All-Frontier Conference Team members as well as 6 All-America honorees.
Prior to Carroll College, Veltri was a graduate assistant for Coach Doug Oliver and the Idaho State Bengals of the Big Sky Conference during the 2002-03 season.
Coach Veltri was raised in Salt Lake City Utah, and attended Judge Memorial Catholic High School. While at Judge Veltri played basketball for Coach Jim Yerkovich who has recorded over 500 victories over the past 40 years while at the helm for the Bulldogs. Upon graduating from Judge Memorial, Veltri spent two years at Peninsula College in Port Angeles WA, where he played basketball along side his identical twin brother Brock Veltri (Seattle Pacific University assistant), and Carroll assistant Sol Jones. The Head coach of the Pirates at the time was former Carroll College assistant Mark Amaral (currently Colorado State assistant).
Coach Veltri graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communications from the University of Utah in 2001, and earned a Master of Arts in Athletic Administration from Idaho State University in May 2003. In addition to his coaching duties, Veltri also serves as the Director of Sports Information at Carroll College. Brandon, who is single, resides in Helena with his brother Brett.
Assistant Coach - Sol Jones
Email Sol /447-5183
Coach Jones comes to Carroll from Tonasket, Washington, and will enter his first season as assistant coach for Carroll. Coach Jones’ responsibilities include skill development of the perimeter players, assisting with recruiting, and in-season scouting of opponents along with a variety of other duties.
Jones served as the head boy’s basketball coach for five years at Tonasket High School (2002-2007) before joining the Carroll staff. Jones returned to Tonasket, his high school alma mater, after graduating from Jamestown College, ND in 2002. In his five years at Tonasket, Coach Jones put the Tonasket basketball program on the map, coaching the Tigers to their first state tournament in 16 years, and best overall record in 22 years in the 2006-07 season.
Jones began his collegiate basketball career at Peninsula College in Port Angeles Washington, where he was teammates with Carroll assistant coach Brandon Veltri. Jones was recruited out of Peninsula by NAIA Jamestown College, where he played under Brad Huse (current Montana State University head coach). In his three years as a player at Jamestown College (1998-2001), Jones compiled a career record of 62-27, winning two conference titles and making one NAIA National Tournament appearance. During his senior season (2000-2001), Jones set DAC 10 3-point records, and received All-Conference honors.
Jones returned to Jamestown the following year (2001-2002) to finish his degree in education while serving as a varsity student-assistant and head JV coach for the Jimmies, and was also a part of a school record setting 27-6 team that made it to the Round of Sixteen at the NAIA National Tournament.
In addition to coaching, Jones is also a teacher at Helena High School. Jones resides in Helena with his wife Jamie, who is an assistant on the Carroll women’s soccer team.
Assistant Coach - Kurt Paulson
Email Kurt / 447-5183
The Carroll basketball program is excited about the return of Kurt Paulson. Paulson took a one year hiatus after a five year career as point guard for the Saints. This time around Paulson joins the coaching staff in his first year in the college coaching ranks. Paulson will assist with the skill development of the Saints perimeter players as well as film exchange.
As a player Paulson started at the point during his Junior year (2004-05) when the Saints 28-7 would claim the Frontier Conference regular season championship and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament. The Saints would set a Frontier Conference record by advancing to the NAIA "Final Four" which no other Frontier Conference team had previously accomplished. In that season Kurt finished first in the conference in assists and third nationally with a 6.18 mark per game.
During his senior campaign (2005-06) the Saints would again claim the Frontier Conference regular season championship as well as the Frontier Conference Tournament title. During this amazing season Carroll set a school record with a 30-4 record. The Saints would make their second straight appearance in the NAIA "Elite Eight". During his five year career at Carroll the Saints would compile a 130-38 record.
Paulson Graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in Business Management and Sport Management. Kurt spent the past year working as a trainer at The Wave in Whitefish and also working as an intern in Portland, OR with Adidas America.
He is a 2001 graduate of Whitefish High School in Whitefish, Montana. Kurt's father Kent and mother Joan reside in Whitefish. His older brother Kale of Doylestown, PA and his wife Emily have two children Keegan and Riley. He also has an older sister Krista who lives in Portland, OR, with her husband Jason.