Not so for Wayne Tinkle, who was named Montana's 26th head men's basketball coach on Wednesday afternoon.
Tinkle replaces Larry Krystkowiak, who resigned to take a job as an assistant coach with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks. (See related story Page A1.)
Tinkle, 40, has waited his turn. He has been an assistant coach at his alma mater for the past five seasons - one under Don Holst, two under Pat Kennedy and the last two under Krystkowiak. He was a finalist for the head job two years ago when Krystkowiak was hired.
“In following a pattern that has been extremely successful in the past, I didn't go far to choose the next head men's basketball coach,” O'Day said. “In fact, the perfect person was right down the hall.”
Tinkle played for the Griz from 1985-89, earning all-conference honors three times and finishing in the top five on the school's all-time list for scoring and rebounding. Following a 12-year pro career spent mostly overseas, Tinkle returned to Missoula and joined Holst's staff in 2001.
Tinkle said he's probably more prepared to be the Griz head coach now than he would have been two years ago.
“I told Larry, having worked with him for the past two years I know I'm much more prepared to lead this program forward,” Tinkle said.
The best piece of advice he got from Krystkowiak?
“The thing I learned most is that whenever you're searching for a solution or an answer, Robin Selvig's office is only two feet away,” Tinkle said with a laugh, referring to the longtime Lady Griz coach. “Really, though, it was the way he controlled his environment. He had a knack of making sure it was the best of learning situations.”
“I think I have a better understanding of what makes 18- to 22-year-olds tick,” Tinkle added. “How to motivate them. X and O-wise, I have a better understanding of the game. The big thing is, in the five years I've been here I've worn a lot of different hats. Coaching is not just about running a team during a game. It's preparing them in the classroom to become better students, to become better people in their community so that when their playing days are over they can succeed.”
Tinkle said all of Montana's incoming recruits have been contacted and are still on board. In fact, junior college transfer Gus Chase attended the press conference.
“I think the program is in good hands with Coach Tinks,” Chase said. “We all understand what Coach K had to do. He took a dream job.
“Coach Tinks is a good man. He deserves it. The program is on the rise and I think Coach Tinks can take us to the promised land.”
That was typical of the reaction of the players, many of whom attended the press conference while taking a break from working at Selvig's Lady Griz summer camp.
“He called us in and just told us straight out that he would never leave Montana for another college job,” junior Matt Martin said of the team's meeting with Krystkowiak. “It's a chance to coach at the highest level, which he can't pass up and we all understood that. He loves this place ... it was hard for him to let go.
“He's going to be missed, but by the same token I think the guys have a sense of relief and pleasure that Tinks is going to step in and be our leader.”
The three most pressing tasks facing Tinkle are running the Griz summer camps, the July recruiting period and finding another assistant coach, probably in that order.
“The timing's a little goofy that way,” Tinkle said. “Next week's our biggest camp, our overnight camp that we've been preparing for. We'll have to change some things around a little bit.
“Then July is a huge recruiting month for us. Finding the right assistant will probably not be that difficult. We'll talk to a handful of guys and I'm sure the cream will rise to the top.”
Tinkle inherits a program in far better shape than when Krystkowiak took over. The Griz were 23-35 in two seasons under Kennedy, their first back-to-back losing seasons since 1970-71.
Under Krystkowiak, the Griz went 42-20, won the Big Sky Conference tournament in both seasons to earn NCAA tournament berths in consecutive years for the second time in UM history. The capper was an NCAA win over Nevada last season, just the second time the Griz ever won a game in the Big Dance.
All of that has served to heighten expectations among the Griz faithful.
“Anytime there's a new coach hired there's expectations,” Tinkle said. “If it's a losing program, they want instant results. I'm very excited to take over a program that's in great shape. I handle pressure pretty well and I know it's different as a head coach. One thing we've learned the last couple of years is that if you do things the right way and work your tails off, you can live with the end result.”
O'Day said Tinkle's contract is still being negotiated but that his base salary will be at least the $95,000 that Krystkowiak earned in his first season.
n The Tinkle file
q Born in Milwaukee on Jan. 26, 1966, the youngest of 11 children (seven girls, four boys).
q Graduated from Spokane's Ferris High School in 1984.
q Played for the Grizzlies from 1985-89, earning all-Big Sky Conference honors in his final three seasons.
q Finished his career at Montana with 1,500 points (fifth on the all-time list) and 836 rebounds (fourth all-time).
q Played professionally for 12 seasons in the CBA, Sweden, Italy, Greece and his final four years in Spain, where he ranked among the league's top scorers and rebounders.
q Served as an assistant at Montana for five years under Don Holst, Pat Kennedy and Larry Krystkowiak.
q Completed his degree in health and human performance at Montana in 2005.
q Married former Lady Griz star Lisa McLeod. They have three children: daughters Joslyn (15) and Elleson (12), and son Tres (10).
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