University of Montana - Men's Basketball Camps
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University of Montana Men's Basketball Camps
Coaching Staff

Andy Hill
Assistant Coach


Andy Hill is now in his sixth season as an assistant coach at The University of Montana.

During Hill’s five-year stint as an assistant coach at Montana, the Grizzlies advanced to the NCAA Tournament back-to-back seasons, advancing in 2005 and 2006. In that two-year period the Grizzlies compiled an overall record of 42-20.

Hill has numerous administrative duties, some of which include assisting with the scheduling of games, coordinating camps, on-court coaching, and recruiting.

He is instrumental in coordinating the annual Grizzly coaching clinics and also works closely with the fund-raising efforts of UM’s hoops Roundball Club.

He served as a graduate assistant coach during the 2003-04 season at fellow Big Sky Conference member Eastern Washington, the 2004 league champion. While at EWU, Hill was involved in promotion of the Eagles’ camps and assisted in recruiting as well.

During the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons he served as an assistant at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. In his two seasons at Lewis-Clark State, the Warriors advanced to consecutive NAIA National Tournaments.

He was also an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Whitworth College in Spokane during the 2000-01 season.

Hill graduated from Eastern Washington in 2000 with a degree in education.


Bill Evans
Assistant Coach

 
Bill Evans is a veteran basketball coach, and he is now in his second season as an assistant coach at The University of Montana.

Evans has been in the coaching ranks for 31 years. Most recently he was the head coach at his alma mater, Southern Utah University, where he was the head man for 15 seasons from 1992 to 2007. He served as an assistant coach for the Thunderbirds from 1990-92 before being elevated to the head job.

His 209 career victories at Southern Utah are the most in school history. He was named the coach of the year four times during his tenure there. He guided the Thunderbirds to their first ever NCAA tournament berth in 2001, a 67-64 setback to ninth-ranked Boston College and had a record of 25-6 that season. He coached 27 all-conference players during his tenure at SUU.

Prior to coaching at SUU, he had stints at the University of Alaska-Anchorage (1986-90); an assistant at SUU (1985-86); at Idaho State (a graduate assistant from 1984-85); and a was a volunteer assistant coach at Southern Utah State College in the 1983-84 season.

Evans began his coaching career as the head mentor at Port Sulphur High School in New Orleans, from 1977-83, and had a six-year record of 112-47 there.

He earned his B.A. degree in physical education at Southern Utah in 1972. He received his master’s degree in athletic administration from Idaho State in 1985.

Bill and his wife, Sunny, have five children: Quentin, Dave, Tori, Trajan, and Kansas.


Freddie Owens
Assistant Coach


A former basketball standout at Wisconsin, Owens is in his first year as an assistant basketball coach at The University of Montana.

Owens, 27, spent last season as a graduate assistant coach for the Iowa State Cyclones, handling film exchange, various administrative duties, and assisting in scouting.

Prior to his stint at ISU, Owens was an assistant coach at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colo., where he assisted in game day preparation, scouting, and film editing.

He played professionally in Latvia in 2005-06 and was an AAU coach for a season before joining the Adams State Grizzlies coaching staff in 2007. The Grizzlies went 18-10, recording their most wins since joining the Division II ranks (1992-93) in his only season there.

A native of Milwaukee, Wis., Owens was a starter for head coach Bo Ryan and the Badgers in 2003 and 2004 and the sixth man as a sophomore. He scored 796 points in his four-year career (2001-04).

A 6-2 guard, Freddie was on two Big Ten regular-season championship teams (2002, 2003) and one Big Ten Tournament championship squad (2004). Wisconsin qualified for NCAA Tournament play in all four of his seasons in Madison, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance as a junior in 2003 when Owens nailed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to defeat Tulsa.

He earned a degree in life sciences and communications from Wisconsin in 2005. Freddie recently became engaged to Carmen Gust. His dad is Lawrence Owens Sr. of Milwaukee.


Kurt Paulson
Graduate Assistant Coach


The 2009-10 season will be Kurt Paulson’s first year as a graduate assistant coach at Montana. Paulson spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Carroll.

Paulson was also a member of the Fighting Saints basketball team from 2001-02 to 2005-06. During that five-year stretch (including a redshirt season in 2001-02), Carroll went 130-38 and won three Frontier Conference championships.

During Paulson’s junior and senior seasons, he was the starting point guard and led the Saints to the 2005 NAIA semifinals and the 2006 NAIA quarterfinals. He finished third in the nation in assists as a junior and as a senior helped Carroll set a school record for wins with 30.

Paulson was an assistant coach at Carroll for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. The Saints went 44-16 over those two seasons, with one trip to the NAIA tournament.

Paulson is a 2001 graduate of Whitefish (Mont.) High. He was a three-sport athlete for the Bulldogs and an all-state selection in both football and basketball.

Paulson, who is the nephew of Griz defensive coordinator Kraig Paulson, earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and health and physical education from Carroll in 2006.