Basketball staff fills out

New head coach Tyler Geving formally announced the hiring of two assistant coaches to his staff this week. Former assistant Eric Harper will continue his stay in the South Park Blocks and will be joined by former Montana assistant, Nate Duchesne.

Duchesne, who spent the last three years in Missoula as a member of head coach Wayne Tinkle, will be the lead assistant and will fulfill many of Geving’s responsibilities for the Vikings next season.

Those duties will likely include taking responsibility of the defense, an aspect of the game that has not always been the Vikings strong suit despite their two consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament.

Duchesne will essentially replace former assistant Curtis Allen who followed head coach Ken Bone to Washington State. Both Geving and Duchesne spent time at Edmonds Community College in Washington and both know the ins-and-outs of recruiting in the Pacific Northwest.

“[Duchesne] understands the Big Sky Conference,” Geving said in a statement regarding the hiring. “He knows what it takes to win in the league ‘X-and-O’-wise, scouting-wise and with recruiting. [Duchesne] is going to be my right-hand man when it comes to recruiting and game preparation next year.”

The Vikings will return a highly talented roster next season and should be one of the favorites to claim the Big Sky Championship.