By ERIC TABER
Montana men’s basketball Head Coach Travis DeCuire has tabbed assistant Chris Cobb as the program’s new associate head coach.
Cobb joined the staff at Montana shortly after DeCuire was formally introduced as the Grizzlies’ new head coach in May of 2014. In the two years since, he has become one of the program’s go-to coaches for both players and staff.
“Leadership is one of his biggest qualities, and guys go to him,” says Coach DeCuire. “He naturally evolved into this role. I look back and that’s who he’s been for the last two years.”
Chris Cobb becomes UM Men’s Basketball Associate Head Coach. Photo courtesy of UM Atheltics.
Under DeCuire, Cobb and the Grizzlies have made two trips to the Big Sky championship game, earning a regular season conference title in 2015, and amassing 41 wins in two seasons. With Cobb on the staff, the Grizzlies have also made two appearances in post-season tournaments, the first in the 2015 NIT, and the second against Nevada in the 2016 CBI.
“I’m grateful and excited,” says Cobb of his new appointment. “To me it doesn’t really change what I do and how I do it, I’m just grateful that he (DeCuire) thinks of me that way, and he thinks of me in that role and that capacity.
“I think we work really well together, and I think we have the same mindset in terms of how we approach our day-to-day work. From recruiting to the players to the academics, our overall personalities blend pretty well.”
Cobb will continue to oversee recruiting for the Grizzlies, and will continue to take a major role in working with the administration and admissions departments. He will also take a large role in player development and scouting for DeCuire.
He came to Montana after four years as an assistant at Chico State, where he helped lead the Wildcats to three-straight NCAA DII tournament appearances, including a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight during the 2013-14 season. Cobb and the Wildcats also won the school’s first CCAA conference championship in school history.
At Chico, Cobb was a key component of the Wildcats’ scouting, recruiting and player development programs as well.
Prior to his time at Chico, Cobb was an assistant at San Francisco State in the 2009-10 season.
He joined the coaching ranks after a four-year playing career at Menlo College in Atherton, Calif., where he was a two-time All-California Pacific Conference first team pick. He is Menlo’s all-time record holder for career assists and three-pointers.
For DeCuire, Cobb has been one of the keys to the team’s success on the court thanks in part to a strong work ethic.
“He gets things done. He’s all about results,” says DeCuire. “I think production is something that’s very important in this business. Cobb is an example of a young man that’s hungry to be successful. It’s a very difficult business to move up in. It’s very difficult to sustain yourself, and I think he’s headed in the right direction.”
Cobb received his bachelor’s degree in business management from Menlo College in 2009. He earned his master’s degree in kinesiology, with an emphasis on sports administration, from Fresno Pacific University in 2012.