Max Good

Last College: Eastern Kentucky, '69/'70 Position: Head Coach Experience: 20th Season

At LMU: 4th Season

If you ask Max Good if he has been around the block in the world of college coaching, be prepared to laugh uncontrollably, blush slightly and become overwhelmed at the number of people that have been touched and positively influenced by the fact that Good has been a basketball coach.

And the passionate, charismatic coach of 40 years brings that influence to the LMU men's basketball program. And ask his players, both current and former, and they couldn't be more excited.

"We went through a lot in my first season at LMU, but it was Coach Good who kept us believing in ourselves and in our teammates," said guard Jarred DuBois. "Good really gets on us at practice and in games because he wants us to succeed and win. But at the end of the day, he cares for us like any parent would. I have a lot of respect for him, and I am excited for what he will lead us to in the coming years."

That's exactly what LMU Athletics Director Dr. WIlliam Husak was looking for when he named Good head coach.

"In selecting our next head coach, one only needs to read Max's resume to learn what an outstanding coach he has been at every level that he has worked," said Husak. "His reputation as a master teacher and strategist who expects the very best of his players is well documented. Coach Good did an outstanding job in maintaining the development and spirit of this program through a trying first year, and because of Max this program is on the verge of great things."

Good, who officially took over the program as the 25th coach in school history on Jan. 12, 2009, is completing his fourth season leading the Lions and continues to put the Lions in new levels of success. At 19-11 overall in 2011-12, the Lions have their best win total since the Elite Eight team of 1989-90. The 11-5 conference record is also the best since that year, as they will play in the WCC quarterfinals for the third time in his four seasons.

In addition, the Lions have found success in the big games Good. The Lions are 4-4 against ranked opponents the last three season under Good, including a 3-2 mark in 2011-12. The games against UCLA and Florida State were the eighth and ninth time under Good the Lions played a team from the "BCS" conferences. The Lions are 3-6 in those meetings, defeating USC (67-59), Notre Dame (87-85) and now UCLA (69-58), all on the road. In addition, Good has led the Lions to more road wins than any head coach since Paul Westhead. At 9-3 this season, the Lions have the most road wins since the Westhead era.

The success in the 2011-12 season earn Good the WCC Coach of the Year, the Lions first since 1995-96.

Good is no stranger to running a program. This is his 20th season as a head coach at the NCAA level, coaching eight seasons at Bryant College (2001-08) prior to joining LMU. He also coached at UNLV for one season (2000-01) and eight seasons at Eastern Kentucky University (1981-89). In addition, his impact hasn't been just at the college level as he was the head coach at the New England prep school Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield, Maine, for 10 seasons (1990-00).

Good had an NCAA head coaching record of 241-224 prior to this coming to LMU and now has a record of 293-296 heading into the 2012 Zappos.com WCC Championships.

"In naming Max Good our head coach, we committed to the direction that this staff has established for the future of LMU basketball. I believe our current players and those who will be Lions in the years to come, will have the very best LMU experience to develop as basketball players, scholars and people because Max Good will be at the helm."

Good coached 28 of the Lions' 31 games in the 2008-09 season, filling in for former Head Coach Bill Bayno, who served a leave of absence before resigning due to health issues. Good led the Lions despite a limited roster of just seven healthy scholarship players and a non-conference schedule ranked as high as 47 in the RPI.

In year two, it was a different story and proved DuBois right for being excited. The Lions finished Good's second season at 18-16 overall and tied for fourth in the West Coast Conference at 7-7. The team posted its second best turn-around in school history with 15 more wins than the year prior (which was also the second-best turn-around in the nation in 2009-10), posted the longest win streak since the 1995-96 season (6 games), defeated their first ranked opponent (#9 Gonzaga) since 1990, posted the program's first ranked-win at Gersten Pavilion, defeated a top-10 team for the second time in school history (the last being in 1960), and had three players earn postseason All-WCC honors, just the 10th time since 1956 three or more Lions have claimed WCC honors (Viney, Teel and Hamilton).

"I have never been a part of a team that flat out refused to quick. Despite all of our issues, they never took the opportunity to feel sorry for themselves or get down," said Good. "Every day they came to practice and left everything out on the floor. That is why I coach, to be part of young men like that."

His third season at LMU saw the Lions deal with more injury issues and a juggling line-up as freshman Anthony Ireland was the only player to not miss a game on the season. However, the Lions managed to advance in the WCC Championships for the second straight year and had three players on the All-WCC team for the second consecutive season. That is the first time that has happened since 1989-90.

Prior to joining the Lions as an assistant, Good led Bryant University (Smithfield, RI) to new levels of success, posting a record of 132-86 in eight seasons. His final campaign in 2008 saw the Bulldogs earn their fifth-straight NCAA Division II Tournament berth with an 18-13 overall record. Good was named head coach in 2001 and inherited a program that had four straight losing seasons. He wasted little time in bringing success to the Bulldogs, posting a 17- 14 record in his second season and earning the honor of Most Improved team by the New England Basketball Coaches.

The 2003-04 season saw Good lead the Bulldogs to a new level. They set a school-record with 23 wins, earning the school's first NCAA tournament berth in 24 years. They not only qualified, but advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. After a tough loss in the regional finals in just his third season, year four may go down as one of the best in Bryant's history. Good led the team to another wins record at 25-9 overall, leading the team all the way to the NCAA Division II Championship, falling to Virginia Union in the title game, 63-58. Bryant College considers that team's run to the NCAA-II final as one of its greatest moments in program history.

Good came to Bryant after spending the 2000-01 season as the head coach of UNLV. He went on to post a record of 13-9 in his one season with the Runnin' Rebels. He joined the UNLV staff in 1999-00 as an assistant.

Prior to joining the UNLV staff, he spent 10 seasons (1989-99) as the head coach at Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield, Maine. He compiled an impressive 275-30 (.902) record that included five New England Prep School Athletic Conference Championships. The NEPSAC is considered the top sub-college league in the country.

"I coached one of Max's players while I was at the University of Pittsburgh, a kid named Jaron Brown from Lexington, Kentucky. He was a great player, an All-Big East Player, really, really a hard worker," said UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland. "Max is one of those coaches that has a really great relationship with his players. While he was at MCI, a prep school in the middle of nowhere Maine, he lived with the team in the dorms. Everything they did, Max was involved in. Jaron was a great kid and he owed a lot of his success to Max. One of the reasons I am standing here is because we had a lot of success at Pitt and it was because of players like Jaron."

His squad captured back-to-back conference championships recording a 69-4 mark over those two years. The 1998-99 squad compiled a 34-4 overall record and the 1997-98 team was 35-0. The 1998-99 team featured DerMarr Johnson, the Parade National Player of the Year.

During his tenure, Good's teams enjoyed three undefeated seasons (26-0 in 1989-90; 24-0 in 1990-91; 35-0 in 1997-98). From 1989-92, Maine Central Institute compiled 79 straight victories and the 1991-92 squad was 29-1.

His extensive coaching background includes five seasons as the assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond (1976-81). He then was named the head coach and spent eight seasons at Eastern Kentucky from 1981-89. He compiled an overall record of 96-129 (.427) at EKU. He enjoyed his best season in 1986-87 with a 19-11 record as he was named the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year. The next season his squad was 18-11.

Before arriving at Eastern Kentucky, he spent six seasons at Richmond Madison High School in Richmond, Ky. He served three seasons (1970-73) as the JV head coach and three seasons (1973-76) as the head coach.

Through the years Good has seen his share of players go to the NBA. That list includes Sean Colson (Houston), Cuttino Mobley (LA Clippers), Brad Miller (Sacramento), Erick Barkley (Portland), DeMarr Johnson (San Antonio), Mamadou Ndiaye (Denver), Caron Butler (Wizards) and Etdrick Bohannon (Cleveland).

While known for his success on the court, Good also saw his players achieve in the classroom. His program at EKU had an 85-percent graduation rate, and 122 of his 128 players at MCI academically qualified for NCAA Division I and II competition following their prep years. Good graduated from EKU in 1969 and received a master's degree from his alma mater in 1970. He was introduced into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in Kingston, RI, for his time as coach at MCI in 2004 and was named the 2005 Words Unlimited Coach of the Year and Rhode Island Basketball Media Coach of the Year in 2008.