Wayne Tinkle enters his first season as head coach and sixth season overall with The University of Montana men's basketball program. In his time at UM, the Grizzlies have gone 81-70 overall and 39-31 in Big Sky Conference play. Montana advanced to three NCAA Tournaments in his last five seasons.

Tinkle spent the last two seasons working with Larry Krystkowiak, who had a two-year record of 42-20 at Montana. Krystkowiak, who left in the summer of 2006 for an assistant coaching position with the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association, was the only coach in school history to guide the Grizzlies to two straight NCAA tournament appearances.

Last season the Grizzlies went 24-7 overall and 10-4 in Big Sky Conference action to finish second in the league standings. Montana defeated host team Northern Arizona, 73-60, in the Big Sky Tournament title game to advance to the NCAAs. Montana earned a No. 12 seed in the Minneapolis Regional and went on to defeat No. 5 seed Nevada (87-79) in the first round, marking the first time in 31 years that the program had won an NCAA Tournament game. UM eventually lost in the second round to No. 4 Boston College, 69-56.

Montana finished the 2004-05 season 18-13 overall and 9-5 in league action which tied the Grizzlies for second in the final standings. A 63-61 Big Sky championship-game victory over Weber State propelled the Grizzlies into the NCAAs where they earned a No. 16 seed and a first-round game with top-seed Washington. UM lost 88-77 to the Huskies, who ended their season in the Elite Eight.

Tinkle was also an assistant coach for two years under Pat Kennedy from 2002-04. The Grizzlies went 23-35, participating in the 2003-04 Big Sky Conference tournament.

Tinkle started his assitant coaching career under Don Holst during the 2001-02 season, a year that the Grizzlies finished 16-15 overall and won the Big Sky Conference tournament title. UM advanced to the NCAA Tournament to meet No. 2 seed Oregon, falling 81-62 in the first round.

Tinkle played for the Grizzlies from 1985-89 and was a three-time All-Big Sky Conference selection from his sophomore through his senior seasons. He is among the all-time scorers and rebounders in school history, ranking fourth in points (1,500) and rebounds (836).

Tinkle ended his career ranked third overall in points before being passed last season by guard Kevin Criswell (2002-06). He also ranks among the Big Sky Conference's career leaders in scoring and rebounding.

Tinkle is a two-time Carl Dragstedt Award winner, an accolade given to the team's most valuable player. He earned that recognition in both the 1988 and 1989 seasons.

His senior year he averaged 17.1 points per game, the eighth most in a single season at UM.

After his college career at Montana, Tinkle played professionally for 12 seasons both in the United States and Europe.

Tinkle was a 1990 first-round draft pick of the Topeka Sizzlers of the Continental Basketball Association. Tinkle also played for the CBA's Tri-Cities Chinook from 1992-94, and the Rapid City Thrillers during the 1994-95 season. He played for current Golden State Warriors coach Eric Musselman during his season at Rapid City.

Early in his career he was also invited to three different NBA preseason camps, working out with the Seattle Supersonics, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers.

Tinkle spent the rest of his professional career playing overseas in the top three European leagues: the Spanish, Italian and Grecian First Divisions. While in Spain, Tinkle played for Murcia, Huesca, Grenada, Valladolid and Caceras. In Italy he played for Caserta and in Greece he played for Pagrati.

Wayne Francis Tinkle II was born January 26, 1966 in Milwaukee, Wis. He is the youngest of 11 children (seven girls and four boys). Tinkle graduated from Ferris High School in Spokane, Wash., in 1984.

Tinkle married former Lady Griz basketball star Lisa McLeod. The Tinkle's have three children: daughters Joslyn and Elleson, and son Tres. He graduated from Montana with a degree in health and human performance.