Griz basketball coach Wayne Tinkle wasted no time replacing Nate Duchesne as assistant coach.

Former Wisconsin player Freddie Owens is the choice, and from a lot of standpoints he looks like a good one.

The one question mark might be experience, but hey, Duchesne didn’t have a lot at the college level, either.

Owens shouldn’t have any trouble with Montana’s nickname, either, having been on the coaching staff for the Adams State Grizzlies in Colorado.

It seems like Tinkle and Owens had an earlier connection that simply panned out for both of them. If you’ve been around coaching for long, you know that’s how it often works. You know someone who knows someone else, and if the timing is right, it turns into an opportunity for both parties.

So welcome, Freddie. If you grew up in Milwaukee, played at Wisconsin, and coached in Alamosa, Colo., the winters in Missoula shouldn’t bother you.

And we know you’ll like the campus and the people in Missoula.

- Bill Schwanke