Grizzlies Basketball
Coaching Staff
Bill Evans
Assistant Coach - 4th Season
Bill is a veteran, well-respected coach, who is now in his fourth season at The University of Montana as an assistant coach.
He has been in the coaching ranks for 33 years. Before joining Wayne Tinkle's Grizzly basketball program he was the head coach at his alma mater, Southern Utah University. He was the head man for the Thunderbirds for 15 seasons from 1992 to 2007.
He was an assistant coach at Southern Utah 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 - 3rd Season
A former basketball standout at Wisconsin, Freddie Owens is now in his third year at The University of Montana.
Owens, 30, spent the 2008-09 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 during the 2007-08 season 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 his master's degree in higher education from Iowa State University. He earned a degree in life sciences and communications from Wisconsin in 2005. Freddie married Carmen Gust in August of 2010. His dad is Lawrence Owens Sr. of Milwaukee.
Quoting head coach Wayne Tinkle:
"Freddie brings instant credibility because he was a great player in a great conference, the Big 10, when he was at Wisconsin. He's a young guy who can get out there and show the guys what he is talking about, instead of always just telling them. He's got a nice understanding of X's and O's and of course he played for a great one in Bo Ryan. I think on the court he's already paid big dividends as far as player development and skill development. The players will be attentive to him because he's been through it. He's a young, confident, vocal coach."
Jonathan Metzger-Jones
Assistant Coach - 1st Season
Jonathan Metzger-Jones is in his first season as an assistant coach at The University of Montana.
Metzger-Jones came to Montana from UC Santa Barbara, where he worked the previous four seasons. He was the director of basketball operations in 2007-08 and an assistant coach his last three years.
Prior to his four-year tenure at Santa Barbara, Metzger-Jones spent one year as the director of basketball operations at Cal State Fullerton.
Metzger-Jones played collegiately West Valley College in Saratoga, Calif., from 1997-2000.
In his final season at West Valley, he was the team's Most Valuable Player and team captain. That season he led the state in three-pointers with 123.
Metzger-Jones continued his collegiate career at the University of Pacific in Stockton, Calif.
His senior season he tied for the team lead with 48 three-pointers, and he finished his career ranked among the Tigers' top-10 all-time three-point shooters.
Following his career at Pacific, Metzger-Jones played professionally in Italy, Switzerland, Denmark and Finland.
From 2000-07 he served as a site director/counselor for the Golden State Warriors Youth Basketball Camps.
Metzger-Jones graduated from Pacific in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. A native of Oakland, Calif., he graduated from Bishop O'Dowd High School.
Jono married Alison Keck of Pullman, Wash., in June of 2011.
