Tinkle arrives in Las Vegas after spending last season in Malibu with the Pepperdine Waves as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Before her season with the Waves, Tinkle spent three seasons at the University of Montana as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. She helped guide Montana to a 23-10 record in the 2022-23 season, which also included a WNIT berth and the Lady Griz’s first postseason win since 2014. During Tinkle’s first year with the Lady Griz, she helped the squad have a seven-win improvement in the 2021-22 season.
Â
Tinkle began her coaching career in Missoula after spending five years in the private sector. She is part of the Pacific Northwest's foremost basketball families: Her father, Wayne, is the current men's basketball coach at Oregon State after leading the Griz for four seasons, and her mother Lisa McLeod is a Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame inductee. Her younger siblings Elle and Tres starred at Gonzaga and Oregon State, respectively.
Â
As a player, Tinkle was a four-year varsity letter-winner under legendary head coach Tara VanDerveer at Stanford, and played alongside La Rocque for three seasons. The pair was part of three Final Four appearances and three Pac-10/12 Conference titles together. La Rocque and Tinkle each collected four Pac-10/12 Conference titles throughout their career as a Cardinal. A McDonald's All-American from Big Sky High School, located in Missoula, Mont., Tinkle was selected to the United States U18 team that won gold in 2008. She graduated from Stanford in 2013 with a double major in sociology and communications, then went on to play for the WNBA's Seattle Storm and eventually in three different overseas leagues.
Â
