University of Montana Men's Basketball Camps
Head Coach Wayne Tinkle

Wayne Tinkle has an overall record of 70-52 (.574) and is 39-25 (.609) in the Big Sky. He is ranked eighth in school history with his 70 victories.

He garnered his first career 20-win season this year, as UM is currently 22-9 overall. It is just the second 20-win season at Montana in the past 13 seasons.

This year’s tournament will be the fourth for “Tinks” in the NCAAs -- three as an assistant coach and one as the head mentor. His NCAA trips: 2001-02 against Oregon with head coach Don Holst; 2004-05 (vs. Washington) and 2005-06 (against Nevada and Boston College) with head man Larry Krystkowiak; and this season.

Tinkle, 41, was named the 26th head coach at Montana in the summer of 2006. He served as an assistant coach at UM for the previous five seasons, working with Krystkowiak for two seasons, two years with Pat Kennedy (2002-04), and one with Don Holst (2001-02).

In his inaugural season (2006-07) as head coach at his alma mater, Coach Tinkle guided Montana to a 17-15 overall record and a third-place finish in league with a 10-6 mark.

Tinkle was a standout forward for the Griz from 1985-89 and a three-time All-Big Sky pick his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.

He is ranked fourth in UM history in career rebounds with 836 and sixth in career points with 1,500. He is also ranked among the Big Sky’s career leaders in both of those two categories.

He was Montana’s Carl Dragstedt Award (MVP) winner in 1988 and 1989. He led the team in rebounding in 1987 (8.9 average), 1988 (8.4 average), and 1989 (8.7 avg.), and in scoring in 1988 (16.2 ppg) and 1989 (17.1 ppg).

He played in the professional ranks for 12 seasons, from 1990 to 2001. He played in the Continental Basketball League in Topeka, Kansas, and finished the year playing in Venezuela.

In his professional career he played in the CBA and in Sweden, Spain, Italy and Greece. He played his final four seasons in Spain from 1995-99, where he ranked among the league’s top scorers and rebounders.

Wayne was born in Milwaukee, Wis., and is the youngest of 11 children (seven girls and four boys). He is a 1984 graduate of Ferris High School in Spokane, Wash. He received his degree in health and human performance from UM in 2005.

He married former Lady Griz basketball star Lisa McLeod. Wayne and Lisa have three children: daughters Joslyn and Elleson, and son Tres. Joslyn currently plays basketball at Stanford University.