On Nov. 2, Kirkwood’s men’s and women’s basketball teams began their season, and they have both been getting considerable national attention despite both teams facing substantial changes.
Coming into the season, the women’s basketball team hired Nate Oakland to take over as head coach following a 37-year, nine-time national-championship tenure with the Eagles. The men’s basketball team brings in eight new faces.
Women’s basketball: The 2025-2026 season was a very successful one for Kirkwood’s women’s basketball team. The Eagles finished second in the nation after losing in the national championship.
But the biggest news from last season came when Kim Muhl announced that he would be retiring. With the Eagles, he compiled over 1,100 career wins, including nine national championship victories.
Nate Oakland was hired to take over the historic program that Muhl created.
“My biggest goal is to not screw it up,” said Oakland. “How do I just keep it rolling and how do I adhere to the standards and the culture that has been here?”
And in Oakland’s first ever game as Kirkwood head coach, the Eagles defeated Wilbur Wright College 122-15. The 107-point differential is the second largest in program history.
“I’ve been on the other side of some games like that before. So it’s just a relief. More relief than anything,” he said after the game when asked about how he feels getting his first coaching win at Kirkwood.
The Eagles have since won two more games and are currently sitting 3-0.
A season removed from a national second place finish, Kirkwood brought back 11 players , highlighted by guard Madison Stowater and forward Erianna Moeschter, who are both averaging 10.3 points a game so far.
At the beginning of seasons, rotations are still being determined for optimization, so many players get opportunities to produce. So far, 10 players have averaged at least five points per game.
This depth is something that Oakland praised before the season started.
“I think our strength is in numbers, and I think our strength is in versatility,” he said. “I don’t think we’re gonna have one leading scorer in 30 games this year. We’re going to have a committee.”
Kirkwood also boasts one of the tallest teams in the nation, having three different players measure at 6-foot-3. That list includes sophomore forwards Whitney Sullivan, Kaci Krum and Dasia Foster.
Men’s basketball: Following a 2025-2026 campaign where the Eagles went 21-9 and missed the national tournament, there were a lot of questions to be answered for this year’s team. Head coach Tim Sandquist addressed this through the transfer portal while keeping strong options from last season.
“We definitely didn’t meet expectations, so that’s not a very good feeling,” said Sandquist when asked about missing the national tournament last season.
The Eagles have played three games so far this season and have won each, including an overtime victory where they took down No. 17 North Central Missouri College 88-83. Kirkwood is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation.
The headline returner is sophomore forward Manasse Kasongo. As a freshman he averaged 11.9 points per game, which was good for second best on the team. This season he is averaging 15.3 points.
“If we had a preseason player of the year vote, he’s probably getting that vote in the (Iowa Community College Athletic Association),” said Sandquist. “He’s a guy who’s always in the gym in between classes or before classes, early in the morning, working on parts of his game that he needs to improve on.”
According to Kasongo’s social media, he has been getting offers from NCAA Division-I schools, including the University of Louisiana Monroe and Southern Utah University.
“I’m excited to see him handle those expectations for himself that others have,” Sandquist said.
Kirkwood also brings in impact freshman Zach Driscoll, who has been the starting point guard for Kirkwood this season. He has averaged nine points per game alongside six assists per game to start his collegiate campaign.
Kirkwood has brought in impact sophomore transfers in forward Jang Ruei, guard Trevan Krumrei, forward Josh Mbick and guard Damyen Jackson.
Returning sophomore guard Jackson Lieurance has been making a impact. After averaging 1.9 points per game last year, he has exploded his offensive game and is now averaging 16 points per game to start the 2026-2027 season.
Categories: Men's Basketball, Sports, Women's Basketball
