CORVALLIS, Ore. — Wayne Tinkle, a former head coach and standout player at the University of Montana, will not return next season as coach of the Oregon State men's basketball program.
Oregon State made the announcement via press release on Thursday. Tinkle went 175-204 overall in 11-plus seasons leading the Beavers, including an 82-141 mark in the Pac-12 and West Coast conferences. Tinkle's most memorable moment came in the 2020-21 season when he guided the Beavers to the Elite Eight of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
"We are grateful to Wayne for his dedication to Oregon State and for the leadership he has provided our men's basketball program," OSU athletic director Scott Barnes stated in a press release. "He has represented Beaver Nation with integrity and commitment. As we approach the dawn of the new Pac-12 era, we believe it is in the best interest of our men's basketball program to transition to its next chapter.
"These decisions are never easy, but we are focused on positioning our program for sustained success in a rapidly evolving collegiate athletics landscape."
During Tinkle's tenure at Oregon State, the program earned two NCAA tournament appearances, highlighted by its 2021 Pac-12 tournament championship and a run to the Elite Eight — the second such appearance in school history. His teams recorded six winning seasons during his time leading the program.
A national search for the next head coach will begin immediately, the press release stated.
Tinkle, 60, was the head coach at Montana for eight seasons from 2006-07 to 2013-14. He guided the Grizzlies to a 158-91 overall record, a 97-39 mark in the Big Sky Conference and to three Big Sky championships and three trips to the NCAA tournament.
Tinkle was a standout forward for the Grizzlies from 1986-89 and a three-time All-Big Sky pick his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. He ranks fourth all-time at Montana in rebounds (836), and sixth in points (1,500). He earned team MVP honors in both in 1988 and 1989. He led the team in rebounding in 1987, 1988 and 1989, and led the team in scoring in 1988 and 1989.
He played professionally for 12 years with stints in the CBA and in Sweden, Spain, Italy and Greece before retiring to become a coach.
