Ferris grad takes over at UM

MISSOULA – University of Montana men’s basketball coach Larry Krystkowiak resigned Wednesday to take an assistant coaching job with the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA, and assistant Wayne Tinkle, a 1984 graduate of Ferris High School, was named the new head coach of the Grizzlies.

Krystkowiak, 41, led Montana to a 42-20 record over the past two seasons, two appearances in the NCAA tournament and a first-round win over Nevada this year – UM’s first NCAA win in 31 years.

Tinkle, 40, played for the Griz from 1985-89, was a three-time all-Big Sky Conference selection and is ranked fifth among Montana’s all-time scorers (1,500 points) and fourth in rebounding (836).

Tinkle, a 6-foot-10 center, was an All-Greater Spokane League pick in 1984 and league MVP.

Tinkle played professional basketball for 12 seasons, until 2000. He played in the Continental Basketball Association and in Sweden, Spain, Italy and Greece and briefly in the International Basketball League.

He became a UM assistant in 2001 and served under coaches Don Holst (2001-02), Pat Kennedy (2002-04) and Krystkowiak (2004-06).

“I can’t express how excited I am to have the opportunity,” Tinkle said. “During my playing days we could have picked anywhere to live, and we always came back to Missoula. … To now be able to run the program, along with my staff, is a dream come true.”