Former Grizzly joins UM coaching staff

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) - Nate DuChesne, a University of Montana basketball player from 1986-1989 and a teammate of head coach Wayne Tinkle, has been hired as a Grizzly assistant coach, Tinkle said Thursday.

DuChesne, most recently head coach at Edmonds Community College in Washington, rounds out the four-man coaching staff for the Grizzlies, joining fellow assistants Brian Marso and Andy Hill.

"Nate has Grizzly blood in him, which was really important to me when I was looking at applicants," Tinkle said in a statement from the university. "He's a guy that understands our program and the way things are done in the Big Sky Conference."

DuChesne said he is honored to return to the Grizzlies as a member of the coaching staff.

"The program has great tradition and the last few years it has gotten back on track," he said. "I'm looking forward to the challenge of building on the team's recent success."

DuChesne coached Edmonds to a 13-13 overall mark last season and a 6-10 league record in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges. Before Edmonds, he worked in the high school ranks for 14 years as an assistant and head coach.

DuChesne was a teammate of Tinkle's while playing guard for three seasons at UM in the late 1980s. He played in 79 career games with his teams compiling an overall record of 56-33 and a Big Sky mark of 26-20.

DuChesne holds the school record for assists in a single game with 14, recorded against Simon Fraser in his senior season. He twice received the Allan Nielsen Award, given to the student-athlete who best represents Grizzly basketball.

"Tinks and I have always had great chemistry on and off the court. We both understand the game and the way it is supposed to be played," DuChesne said. "I believe that our chemistry will carry over to the coaching ranks."

DuChesne graduated from UM in 1991 with an undergraduate degree in secondary education. He also has a master's degree in educational technology from City University in Washington.

He and his wife have three young children.