GRIZ BASKETBALL PROGRAM ADDS THREE PREP STANDOUTS

MISSOULA, MONTANA - The University of Montana has signed three
prep standouts to National Letters of Intent announced fourth year
Grizzly Head Coach Wayne Tinkle.
The new additions are Vaughn Autry from Junipero Serra High
School (Gardena, Calif.), Billy Reader of Lake Oswego High School
(Ore.), and Michael Weisner from Walla Walla High School (Wash.).
Autry, a 6-2, 189-pound combo guard from Inglewood, averaged
16.7 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.0 steals a game as a junior at Junipero
Serra High School. Last year he was named first team All-CIF I-AA and
second team all-area by the Wave and Daily Breeze (newspapers). His
high school coach is Dwan Hurt.
Last year Autry's team was 24-4 and runner-up for the CIF
championship. He was voted the offensive MVP of his league and his team
and chosen "Most Improved" on his squad. He set a league record with
nine steals in a game.
His parents are Dionne and Stephen Autry (who played basketball
at Santa Barbara) of Inglewood. He plans to major in business. Birth
date: April 4, 1992.
"I chose Montana because of the coaches, the environment, and
the players," Autry said via a phone interview today. "I feel like it
is a winning program, and that is what I am all about - winning."
"Vaughn has a lot of potential," Tinkle said. "He can score the
ball, and he really has great court vision and sets up his teammates
with his passing ability. He plays with a lot of heart. He is right
along the lines of the guards who we've been bringing in, and we are
excited about adding him to our team next year."
A 6-9, 220-pound center-forward, Reader averaged 10.0 points and
6.0 rebounds per game last year and shot 63% from the field. His head
coach at Lake Oswego High School was Mark Shoff.
Reader, from Hillsboro, Ore., turns 18 next June, he is
projected to grow to 6-10 or 6-11. Current Minnesota Timberwolves
player and UCLA star Kevin Love prepped at Lake Oswego High School.
Last season Reader's team placed fourth in the state, going
21-4. He was a second team all-league pick a year ago and will serve as
a team captain this season.
His parents are LeAnn and Dennis Reader of Martinville, Ill. He
is undecided on a major. His birth date is June 3, 1992.
"When I went here on my visit I just had a gut feeling that
Montana was the place I wanted to go," Reader said in a phone interview.
"Everything just felt right to me."
"Billy comes from an outstanding program," TInkle said. "He has
improved over the last seven months more than any post player that we
recruited in this class. We really like his game. He is a big,
physical post player who plays extremely hard with a lot of energy. He
is a very developed post player for his age. He's young, and we think
he can be a threat for us in the post."
A Columbia Basin Big Nine League first team pick, Weisner is a
6-7 combo forward who averaged 16.7 points and 7.1 rebounds and shot 49%
from the field and 44% from three-point range last season. His high
school basketball coach is John Golden.
Weisner, originally from Spokane, Wash., was the starting
quarterback for the Walla Walla football team, which went 6-4 this
season and lost in the second round of the 2009 playoffs. He earned
three letters in football and basketball and was a team captain in both
sports.
His parents are Holly and Darcy Weisner of Walla Walla. He will
major in business at UM. His birth date is August 8, 1991.
"The coaches were the main thing for me in coming to Montana,"
Weisner said in a phone interview. "I really like Coach Tinkle. I also
really liked the community and the great fan support. It just seemed
like the best place for me to go."
"Mike is a very skilled basketball player with a high IQ,"
Tinkle said. "He can really shoot the ball, and he brings a solid set
of skills to our program. He was a high-caliber quarterback, and we
really feel like when he focuses on one sport, he's going to take his
game to a new level."
"I think with these three young men we've addressed a lot of
needs, both on the perimeter and in the post," Tinkle said. "They are
high-character players who are extremely dedicated student-athletes."
Coach Tinkle said UM has two more scholarships available and
that he would more-than-likely save them until the spring to fill them.

Dave Guffey
The University of Montana
Associate A.D., For External and Media Relations
Hoyt Athletic Complex
32 Campus Drive
Missoula, MT 59812
406-243-5402-Office; 370-9435-Cell; 243-6859-Fax
guffeydb@mso.umt.edu