Bill Bayno brought in famed Maine Central Institute coach Max Good to bring some much-needed discipline to its defense a year ago.
Now, Good is asked to bring discipline to the entire UNLV program.
Good began his term as interim head coach Tuesday after the university fired Bayno because of NCAA rules violations, which he wasn't named in, but cost him his job and the school scholarships and a potential postseason appearance this March.
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“ |
This season will be dedicated to one
of the greatest guys in the business in Bill Bayno
... We all feel sick to our stomach. We've all been
tossing and turning all night. ” |
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— Max Good, UNLV interim head coach |
Good, known for his stern boot-camp approach when he was at MCI for 10 years, went to work on the Rebels at Monday's practice, ironically one that Bayno told Good was the team's best of the season. Bayno was fired later Monday night.
"Discipline won't be a problem," Good said Tuesday. "If I have a skill, and I'm no Bear Bryant, I'm very confident in Xs and Os, and I can motivate. I don't have any concerns."
Good said he has a handshake agreement with the university to be the interim coach and nothing else. The 58-year-old Good, who amassed a 275-20 record in 10 years at MCI, said he would visit the fulltime position if he has a chance at the end of the season. Good, who coached headliners like DerMarr Johnson, Erick Barkley, Mamadou N'Diaye and Cuttino Mobley at MCI, was a head coach at Eastern Kentucky.
If Good doesn't get the fulltime job, or isn't a candidate, then a number of high-profile coaches are likely to be mentioned for the position. They include: former Indiana coach Bob Knight, Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins (who will also be a candidate with the Denver Nuggets if Dan Issel is let go), Boston Celtics coach Rick Pitino and former Georgetown coach John Thompson.
But for the interim this will clearly be Good's team. He retained assistants Dave Rice and Charles Cunningham, but the 3-4 Rebels will know who is in charge. The staff said it doesn't expect to miss a beat in getting the Rebels to respond without Bayno, who met with his former players Tuesday afternoon. The Rebels are due to get suspended guard Chris Richardson back for Saturday's game against Cincinnati. Richardson practiced for the first time Monday after sitting out the 2000 NCAA Tournament first-round loss to Tulsa and the first seven games of this season for lying to NCAA investigators about how he purchased a bedroom set.
Injured guard Lou Kelly is due to practice later this week for a potential return to the court in early January after breaking his foot in the preseason. Point guard Jevon Banks could be back next week after spraining his ankle against Oklahoma State. Banks missed the Nevada loss Saturday and was second on the team in assists.
"This season will be dedicated to one of the greatest guys in the business in Bill Bayno," Good said. "People who know Billy know he's a terrific guy. He's one of the most generous people and he never says no. We all feel sick to our stomach. We've all been tossing and turning all night."
Fresno State coach Jerry Tarkanian, the former UNLV coach who spent two decades fighting the NCAA, said he was upset to hear about Bayno's firing. "I don't wish that on anyone," Tarkanian said. "I feel real bad about this."
Good, members of the staff and close friends of Bayno in college basketball expect him to stay away from the college game over the next year. Bayno worked for Larry Brown at Kansas and could seek employment with the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA as a scout or ultimately on the bench with an NBA team as an assistant.
Former assistant Glynn Cyprien, now an assistant at Oklahoma State, said Bayno was a "great individual coach who would be an asset to an NBA team." Bayno called former UMass boss/current Memphis coach John Calipari and former fellow assistant, UMass head coach Bruiser Flint early Tuesday morning to tell them of his firing.
Support for Bayno was evident around the Mountain West on Tuesday.
"Obviously the strength of your league includes UNLV being a top program, and from that standpoint I'm disappointed and I'm also saddened for Billy, who has been a friend of mine for quite some time," said New Mexico coach Fran Fraschilla, who recruited against Bayno when the two were in the Northeast in the early '90s. "I feel very badly for him."
"I consider Coach Bayno a friend, and I hate to see anything like this happened to anyone, or a program," Wyoming coach Steve McClain said.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
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