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He's still watching from a courtside seat, but not on the bench.
Mike Montgomery may just be a little thankful for that, seeing how his former players are coaching in the Pac-12.
The former Cal coach is now calling games for the Pac-12 network, and he's had some time to digest the performances of Larry Krystkowiak and Wayne Tinkle, two top candidates for coach of the year — certainly within the conference, and maybe the country.
USA Today recently ranked Tinkle, leading the perennially woeful Beavers to a 14-5 record through Tuesday, as leading the second-most impressive coaching job of any coach in the nation. Sports Illustrated recently tapped Krystkowiak, presiding over the No. 11-ranked Utes (16-3, 6-1), on a similar shortlist. Both made a list produced by Yahoo Sports.
Montgomery, who coached both at Montana, can claim he blazed the trail — though he's not so quick to do so. Both had head coaching stints at Montana before moving on to their present jobs. Tinkle served as Krystkowiak's assistant as well.
"That association — Montana has just been churning them out," Montgomery said in an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune. "A lot of people have come in there and ended up doing well in coaching."
Of the two, Utah has carved a less surprising story. The Utes were picked to finish second in the conference behind Arizona this year. Montgomery experienced Krystkowiak's teams firsthand, falling in the two most recent meetings between Cal and the Utes. He knew, he said, Krystkowiak was on the way up.
To his credit, Krystkowiak hasn't disappointed. Montgomery said Utah has kept the signature work ethic of the program intact and now has the talent to contend.
It's the kind of team Montgomery would expect from Krystkowiak — who once starred on Montgomery's Montana teams as a three-time Big Sky MVP.
"If you know Larry's background, you would expect no less: He was a kid that gave you everything he had," he said. "The thing that's most impressed me about Larry this year is his demeanor. He doesn't go over the top with them, he just keeps an even keel and coaches them hard. It's paid off, and they've bought in."
Tinkle was only under Montgomery for one year, playing most of his career under another distinguished former Montana coach, Stew Morrill. But Montgomery also sees Tinkle's character that he brought to Montana sinking in early in Corvallis.
Oregon State has been the league's most stingy defensive team, allowing the fewest points (56.1 ppg) and the lowest shooting percentage (35.9 percent). The team picked to finish last in the Pac-12 is currently at fourth. The Beavers also have the most impressive Pac-12 win to date: beating Arizona at home.
"Wayne has gone in, and they're buying into what he's selling," Montgomery said. "They're playing hard, they're playing together. … Wayne's even got the crowd interested now; they're starting to come back to the games."
Montgomery said he won't be calling the action when Utah visits Gill Coliseum in the sole scheduled meeting between the two programs, but he'll watch with great interest.
Either way, he can take a little credit if he wants it.
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Ex-teammates carving up Pac-12
Larry Krystkowiak and Wayne Tinkle, who played at Montana together and coached on the same staff, are the two leading candidates for Pac-12 coach of the year and could land national honors.
Utah's Larry Krystkowiak at a glance
• Led Utah to first top-10 ranking since 1999 this year
• Second-most wins nationally by 20-plus points (10)
• Leads Pac-12 in scoring margin, defensive points per possession
Oregon State's Tinkle at a glance
• Three wins away from besting OSU's 16-16 record last season
• Upset top-10 foe Arizona, and unbeaten at home
• Leads the Pac-12 in points allowed, field goal percentage defense