Griz fill need for big man

Montana men’s basketball coach Wayne Tinkle has filled a need for a big man, signing 6-foot-11 Marko Kovacevic of Western Nebraska Community College to a national letter of intent. Kovacevic, from Beograde, Serbia, averaged 11.7 points and 7.8 rebounds a game for Western Nebraska last season as a sophomore. He shot 66 percent from the field and 59 percent from the free-throw line. The Big Sky champion Griz were left thin in the middle by the graduation of 7-footer Derek Selvig. Junior-to-be Eric Hutchison returns at center, but the status of center Billy Reader, who will be a redshirt sophomore, is up in the air after Reader missed the second half of last season due to academic concerns.