NCAA Basketball: Top 10 impact head coaching hires from the year 2004

7. Larry Krystkowiak (Montana)

Over the course of the program’s history, Montana has had some great moments and featured a lot of consistent play. In 2004, this was not the case, as the program had struggled mightily since the turn of the century, with the last few seasons necessitating a change at head coach. The program was in the NCAA Tournament as recently as 2002, but still, the Grizzlies managed to find the right voice to get things back on track.

Larry Krystkowiak played forward at Montana nearly two decades earlier prior to a professional career that included nearly ten full years in the NBA. After his playing career ended, he spent time on the staff at Montana, while also serving as head coach of the Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League. With just that one season of head coaching experience, he was a bit less experienced when he took over this Montana program, but that didn’t matter one bit.

Though he’d spend just two seasons leading the Grizzlies, Krystkowiak made his mark on the program. He led them to NCAA Tournament appearances in both seasons, with his 2006 team upsetting 5-seed Nevada for just the program’s second-ever tourney victory. He was scooped up by the Milwaukee Bucks soon after that season, but certainly set up successor Wayne Tinkle and this Grizzlies program to succeed for years to come.