This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Between those lines, that stretch of hardwood 94 feet long and 50 feet wide, Larry Krystkowiak turned nasty.
Then a senior at Montana, the 6-foot-9 power forward was aiming for his third straight Big Sky MVP award. It was hard to tell when he was more savage: in practices or games. He'd bump and muscle his way past anyone standing between him and the rim — same-color jersey or not.
Often, that barrier was a hard-luck freshman named Wayne Tinkle — "Tinks," as he's still known around Missoula. The rookie had a high opinion of himself that Krystkowiak knocked down by force.
"Krysko just pounded on him," says Dave Guffey, a longtime Montana media official who saw both men pass through as players and coaches. "They were not buddies back in the day."
If that was the whole story of the two men, this week would be easier for the both of them. The two former teammates will face each other as opponents for the first time when Krystkowiak leads his No. 9-Utes into Corvallis to face Tinkle's Oregon State squad, which is surprising the Pac-12 as he rebuilds in his first year.
Although nothing kept them from competing on the court, Krystkowiak and Tinkle share deep reservoirs of respect for one another. For 30 years, the game that once motivated them to fight has also given them a foundation for a friendship as teammates, training partners and co-workers.
When Krystkowiak used to bully him, Tinkle said, the bruises never lasted longer than the lessons.
"Back then, it was a rite of passage: The older guys beat on the younger guys," he said. "A lot of guys don't see it that way, maybe, but Larry was never unfair. He made sure I knew what it took to contribute. I think it was crucial to helping me get to the next level."
A lot in common • Their stories have intertwined often: In Montana's all-time record book, you'll see Krystkowiak at the top of several categories, including scoring and rebounding. But scroll down a few names and Tinkle is close behind.
Former coach Stew Morrill, who was an assistant during Krystkowiak's years and head coach for most of Tinkle's, said the big men had much in common.
"They weren't just scorers, they weren't just rebounders," Morrill said. "But they had a great feel for the game and were smart players. They both sort of had that big-guy presence."
But the backgrounds were different: Krystkowiak clawed his way up from a difficult childhood in Montana, living with his brother for most of his high school years before earning a scholarship with the Grizzlies. Tinkle was the youngest of 11 children in his family, a middle-class bunch out of Spokane, Wash.
Those differences and their fierce competitiveness created sparks. None of the Montana seniors had great love for "preppies" — the common parlance for freshmen of the time. But Krystkowiak insisted it wasn't personal. He was just "passing the torch."
"It wasn't about him being cocky or anything; you probably could have said the same things about me when I was a freshman," he said. "There were seniors who brought me close to tears. It was how things were done."
At Montana, passing the torch meant showing Tinkle how tough it would be to succeed. Krystkowiak barreled past him in practices. No one blinked at elbows to the side or shoulders to the chest. You needed grit to be a Grizzly.
"I don't recall too many fistfights in our practices," said John Bates, a Montana small forward who graduated in Krystkowiak's class. "But with Mike and Stew running the show, they expected you to toughen up."
There was also a handful of off-the-court antics. During a road trip to Houston, Krystkowiak and a few upperclassmen taped Tinkle to a chair and put him in the hotel elevator, pushing the button to every floor before the doors shut. Somewhere, Bates said, he still has pictures of Tinks tied up.
It was in good fun, all parties insist. Besides, Tinkle said, there was a different side of Krysko he got to see, as well.
"Larry was a big reason I went there: He was great on my recruiting trip, and he showed me the lay of the land," he said. "We got along great until we stepped between those lines on the court."
Career intersections • The two men used their success at Montana to propel themselves into long pro careers. Krystkowiak made it to the NBA, while Tinkle played overseas for more than a decade. But even those far-flung paths intersected in the offseason when they made their homes in Missoula.
They trained hard, kept each other's games sharp. After an especially tough workout, it was common for them to grab burgers and beers at Missoula Club. Occasionally Krystkowiak invited Tinkle up to his lake house up the road in Flathead to go fishing.
That casual relationship kept on for a few years until they got into coaching. But there was an awkward reunion professionally then, too.
Tinkle was a Grizzly assistant in 2004 when then-coach Pat Kennedy left to take a job at Towson. A Montana official told Tinkle on a Friday that he would be the next Montana head coach. The next Tuesday, Krystkowiak was given the job.
Tinkle admits he was "frustrated" with the school's administration, but if it wasn't going to be him, he was glad it was another Montana alumnus. Krystkowiak didn't waste much time in calling Tinkle and offering him a position on his staff.
"Wayne did a great job of bridging the gap with [the players] because we didn't know any of the guys," said Utah assistant Andy Hill, who coached under both Krystkowiak and Tinkle at Montana. "It was excellent dynamics. They were all great guys, and we had a lot of fun together."
Krystkowiak's tenure as a Grizzly coach was short but brilliant: It included two NCAA tournament appearances and one memorable upset of No. 5 seed Nevada in Salt Lake City in 2006.
But further reflection takes Tinkle to one of the team's toughest road trips in 2004: The Grizz lost to UC Santa Barbara, San Francisco and Stanford in three straight games, and one of their best players became academically ineligible.
It was a low point, Tinkle recalled, but somehow, Krystkowiak turned it around. He kept staff meetings light. He told players to go out and enjoy Christmas — when they came back, they would go to work. From that point on, Montana went 14-7, won the Big Sky and went to the Big Dance.
Patience. Realism. Pragmatism. These were tenets Tinkle said he took away from coaching under Krystkowiak.
"I have fond memories of that staff," Tinkle said. "Larry taught me a lot the way he kept us locked in and focused. He was a great leader."
A pair or Missoula icons • Krystkowiak moved to the NBA ranks, taking a circuitous route back to college coaching when he took the Utah job in 2011. Tinkle got his head coaching chance after Krystkowiak left, winning conference championships three times in eight years.
Andrew Strait, a former star who had two years under each coach, said Krystkowiak and Tinkle had separate styles, but both managed to get results.
"They both have a lot of charisma, but [Wayne has] such a different style, kind of by example," Strait said. "I think all of us knew even before Tinks got the job that he had all the potential in the world to be a good head coach. We're seeing that now."
The two men still see each other occasionally, now at league meetings rather than over burgers. Krystkowiak said he offered Tinkle some advice before the season as his former assistant took over a rebuilding situation at Oregon State, but even he didn't expect this much success this quickly.
"He's a smart guy," Krystkowiak said. "They're playing hard, playing defense, playing together — things that will win you a lot of basketball games."
There are other things in common they have now they didn't have then: Tinkle has three children, and Krystkowiak has five. Tinkle made a visit to Missoula to surprise his wife, Lisa, and son Tres at Tres' basketball game in Montana recently, while Krystkowiak regularly sneaks out of practices a bit early to catch his son Cam starting for Brighton's sophomore team. Both are still revered in Missoula, the town that may take the most interest in Thursday's game. There are those who will be in Corvallis, Ore., like Bates, and those who will watch on TV, like Guffey and Strait.
Either way, a Grizzly will be a winner. The Montana bond will be the one that lasts between Krysko and Tinks.
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Montana bonds
Players
• Larry Krystkowiak leads Montana in scoring (2,017); Wayne Tinkle is No. 7 (1,500)
• Krystkowiak leads in rebounds (1,105); Tinkle is No. 4 (836)
• Both led three campaigns with season-high rebounds — Krystkowiak 84-86; Tinkle 87-89
Coaches
• Krystkowiak was 42-20 in two years, winning two Big Sky tournaments
• Tinkle was 158-91 in eight years, winning three Big Sky tournaments and two regular-season titles —
No. 9 Utah at Oregon State
At Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, Ore.
Tipoff • 9 p.m. MST
TV • Pac-12 Network Radio • ESPN 700 AM
Records • Utah (20-4, 10-2 Pac-12); OSU (16-9, 7-6)
Series history • Utah leads, 14-10
Last meeting • Jan. 4, 2014, at Utah; Utah 80, OSU 64
About the Utes • Jakob Poeltl is coming off a big game against Cal, in which he scored 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting for his best scoring night since Nov. 28. … Brandon Taylor leads the Pac-12 in 3-point percentage (53.3 percent) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.19) during conference play. … Utah has been ranked in the AP poll for 12 straight weeks, the longest stretch since the 1999-2000 season.
About the Beavers • Oregon State is 14-0 at Gill Coliseum, which is the best start at home in program history. … Salt Lake Community College's Gary Payton II leads the Pac-12 with 76 steals, and he's within reach of the school season record of 100 set by his father, Gary Payton Sr. … OSU is the one Pac-12 defense outperforming Utah in FG percentage, allowing opponents to shoot 37.5 percent, No. 6 nationally.