The Grizzoulian : Montana Grizzlies Sports : Football, Basketball, Track & Field, Soccer, Cross Country, Volleyball, Golf, Tennis, Lacrosse : Montana Grizzlies Sports, Football and Basketball : Grizzoulian

Last night I spent about two and a half hours compiling links to stories that would make people believe that LK could really make a difference in Milwaukee. At the time, I was convinced it was almost useless because the Bucks would get blown out by the Spurs and everyone would look at this hire like they looked at the Dan Hawkins hire after the Montana State game.

Well, not only did Krystkowiak ("stk," learn it) not embarrass himself, he somehow won the game. Over the San Antonia Spurs. Just a day short of a year since beating Nevada in the NCAA tourney he goes and beats the Spurs in his NBA head coaching debut. This is great.

• Send To A Friend
• Print This Article
• Comments (2)
• Trackbacks

Larry Krystkowiak has been hired as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and I realize many of you may have found your way here in hopes of finding out who he is and what he's done. Well, below is a growing list of some information on LK:

• Coached here at the University of Montana for two seasons, going 42-20, not 42-40 as the Milwaukee Bucks Media Guide indicates. He led the Griz to two consecutive NCAA Tournaments and won one tournament game. His biggest wins come over Stanford and Nevada.
• Big Man on Campus. This is the best article I've found on Krystkowiak. It describes the emotion and fire he brings to a team. Just read the first couple paragraphs and tell me he won't be good for an underachieving Bucks team.
• Krystkowiak to guide UM men's basketball. Story on his return to Missoula as a coach instead of a player. Should be taking the same approach to turning the Bucks around.
  
  • "A lot of it has to do with being prepared and finding the right approach. Experience is fantastic, but I think you can get a lot accomplished by being organized and efficient. I think I have what it takes in terms of being organized and getting the program back on track."
• Old school battle: Krysko, Griz have tussled with these Dawgs before. In the '05 tournament, the Griz had many bracketeers on edge has the Griz hung with the Washington Huskies for most of the game. This was largely due to Krysko's coaching. He plays like he coaches and this article describes how he played — and brawled — against the Huskies in 1985.
• Griz basketball wrapup — More than imagined. A reflection piece on LK's best season as a head coach.
  
• Awakening The Griz: Basketball coach helps restore pride. Another great article on the huge impact Krystkowiak had on the UM program. Before him, the Griz program had no swagger, confidence or pride. The point is: he's come into a situation like the one and done what was needed.
• Quote on his practices and how he managed players dealing with a new coach from the Billing Gazette.
  • "Changes can be hard. It's not easy for the players. This was the third head coach for some of them,'' said [former Griz assistant] Huse. "Larry allows the players to be their own person, but when they step between the lines, he expects a full effort ? whether it be games or practice.''
• Sky's the limit for Montana. A preview article on the Griz/Husky game in the '05 tournament. Also includes how he has been doubted before, starting as a college player, and an interesting story on his pro career.
  • "We're not flashy. We try to get it done the old-fashioned way."

    Kind of like their coach once did. Krystkowiak played the game with a chip on his shoulder, motivated by slights like the one from former Washington State coach George Raveling. Krystkowiak says that as a high school player in Missoula, he attended a WSU camp and was told that Raveling said he was "not big enough to be a post player, not skilled enough to be a wing."

    Despite that, he won Big Sky MVP honors three straight times. Then he played 420 games in the NBA, including one year alongside Michael Jordan with the Bulls. But symbolic of Krystkowiak's career, that year happened to be 1995, which Jordan began on the retired list before returning at midseason, only to fall short of the NBA Finals.
    "We kicked a field goal between the two three-peats," Krystkowiak jokingly said.

• Several good players missed '84 Olympic cut. LK did have his doubters but he was good enough to be considered for the 1984 Olympic team. He got the chicken pox and never made the cut.
• Interesting note: he was coached by Del Harris, one of the most respected coaches in the league, for five of the ten years he spent in the NBA. LK was even brought in to play for Harris during his Lakers days; this was the last year of Krysko's career. Del is also the father of Bucks GM Larry Harris.
• He was punched by Shaq.

• Send To A Friend
• Print This Article
• Comments
• Trackbacks

With this being the fourth entry on whether or not Larry Krystkowiak will be head coach somewhere, it seems like this whole thing has really dragged on. In all actuality, in only took the Bucks eight hours to find a new coach as reports say LK will be the new coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Bucks are expected to make a formal announcement about Krystkowiak's promotion Thursday morning.

Lawyers for Bucks' owner Herb Kohl worked all of Wednesday afternoon in Milwaukee constructing a new contract for Krystkowiak. Krystkowiak then agreed to the terms and conditions of the contract early Wednesday night. The guaranteed contract is for the remainder of this season -- the Bucks have 18 more games remaining -- and the following two seasons.

Yes, that's right. In a year, he went from coaching the University of Montana Grizzlies to a first-round NCAA Tournament victory over the Nevada Wolf Pack to being an NBA head coach. Well, after he pulled off that upset, probably his best hoops accomplishment to date, he had to face Boston College. The team he faces following his most recent accomplishment will be a bit tougher. Krystkowiak's first game as an NBA head coach will be against the San Antonio Spurs, winners of 13 straight. Yeah, good luck with alllll that.

To all you Bucks fans, congrats. I'm sure LK will get this team heading in the right direction. You may have to invest in more clipboards seeing has he tends to break them when he really gets going. In an earlier post I compared him to Lou Piniella and I really can't think of a better analogy.

Last year at UM, Krystkowiak had a talented but not great team and led them to upset victories over Stanford early in the season and Nevada in the tournament. Had a few things gone his way — namely, the double OT Boston College/Pacific game — he likely would've had Montana (!!) in the Sweet 16.

I know it's always a bit disappointing when an assistant gets elevated to head coach — I know, it happened to us after LK left — instead of grabbing an established head coach. Try not to fret, Krystkowiak is your prototypical head coach, not someone used to being an assistant. Look for LK to really take charge and start having this team playing at or above their talent level.

• Send To A Friend
• Print This Article
• Comments
• Trackbacks

The idea that former Montana Grizzlies head coach Larry Krystkowiak will take over as the next coach is starting look more and more inevitable. After news that the Bucks front office met late last night to discuss making Krystkowiak head to keep him from leaving, current head coach Terry Stotts has been fired.

Here's Krystkowiak's comments on Utah's efforts to land him:

"I'm not going to talk about that at all," Krystkowiak said earlier today of published reports linking him to the Utah job, vacant since Ray Giacoletti resigned on March 2. "I'm an assistant coach with the Bucks; that's what I can say.

"I'm looking forward to finishing the season out (with the Bucks)."

This sounds kind of similar to what he said when there were rumors swirling that he would be leaving the University of Montana.

After all that's happened in this situation so far, it would be hard to imagine anyone other than Krystkowiak taking over as the head coach of the Bucks.

• Send To A Friend
• Print This Article
• Comments
• Trackbacks

The Salt Lake Tribune reports today that Larry Krystkowiak interviewed yesterday for the Utah Utes head coaching position and is their top candidate. Because this was mentioned yesterday by ESPN (they probably stole another scoop), the most interesting news in this story is that it has ignited a bit of chaos in the Milwaukee Bucks organization as they ponder making LK their head coach before the Utes can.

Athletic director Chris Hill and other university officials interviewed assistant coach Larry Krystkowiak of the Milwaukee Bucks for the position Tuesday in Milwaukee and they are believed to have offered him the job, sources told The Salt Lake Tribune.
   
The interview ignited a series of meetings involving high-ranking Bucks officials, sources said, which endured into the night and included U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, the team owner. The Bucks were grappling with whether they plan to fire embattled head coach Terry Stotts and replace him with Krystkowiak - a move that presumably would keep Krystkowiak from joining the Utes.
   
However, if Krystkowiak were to quickly accept an offer from the Utes, an announcement conceivably could come today, before Hill is due to attend the NCAA Tournament games Thursday in Sacramento, Calif.

Wow. For all of you that thought Krystkowiak was curiously hired by the Bucks to eventually become their head coach, it's looking like you were right. He's like some hot prospect they don't want to bring up to soon but wouldn't dare let go because they know he'll be good. Ladies and gentleman, Larry Krystkowiak is the Felix Hernandez of 2007. And Terry Stotts is Jamie Moyer.

More information on the Krystkowiak/Chris Hill meeting here.

UPDATE:  AD Chris Hill says he has met with Krystkowiak but has not officially offered him the job. Another meeting is planned.  Here's an interesting clip from that article regarding the Bucks' perspective:

Highly regarded in both college and pro basketball for his engaging personality and basketball knowledge, Krystkowiak is widely known as a favorite of Kohl, one of the most respected owners in the NBA. However, Kohl is said to be torn over what to do about Stotts, who has led the Bucks to a 23-41 record this season but endured a series of devastating injuries.

It always helps when the owner is on your side, just ask Joe Girardi.

• Send To A Friend
• Print This Article
• Comments
• Trackbacks

Take a look at this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article and tell me you don't miss Larry Krystkowiak a little bit. Yes the program will be just fine in the giant paws of Wayne Tinkle but I have to say these second half runs/adjustments were what made last year's Griz team as good as it was.

Lost in the hoopla surrounding guard Mo Williams' first career triple-double in Wednesday's victory over Miami at the Bradley Center was the fact that assistant coach Larry Krystkowiak deserved an assist for the victory.

Krystkowiak entered the halftime locker room and reminded the Bucks - a team that likes run for a living - that they had exactly zero fast-break points at that stage of the game.

Asked about Krystkowiak's halftime message, guard Michael Redd said, "That was shocking to us. We were scoring but we didn't get any fast-break points and we were like, 'Wow.' So we made an effort in the second half to go out and push it."

The Bucks only ended up scoring 7 fast break points in the game but the change to the offense was drastic.

How dramatic was the change in style from half to half?

Let's put it this way. In the first half, the Bucks scored 53 points on 44.2% shooting. In he second half, the Bucks scored 68 points - two shy of their season high for a half - and shot 61.5%.

Miami, on the other hand, scored 56 points in the first half on 55% shooting. In the second half, the Heat scored 39 points on 35.1% shooting.

The Bucks have been searching all season for an identity and might finally be finding one as an open-court team.

This happened too many times to count last year. If the over/under for years until Krystkowiak is head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks was 2.5, I'd have to take the under.

Update: The Bucks have won five in a row with their win tonight over the Spurs. The game mentioned above was the second in the stretch.

• Send To A Friend
• Print This Article
• Comments
• Trackbacks