Feb. 26, 2010

By Steve Solloway ssolloway@pressherald.com
Staff Writer, Portland Press Herald
Article was published in the Portland Press Herald on Feb. 25

The defeats started to pile up and the head coach left his college team, driven off by the stress of the job. Malaise threatened to infect players and fans. The team was down to seven scholarship players.

That was last season at Loyola Marymount University. The once-proud Lions of Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble were in danger of getting caught in another California mudslide.

Then Max Good took over. The Maine native who coached the Maine Central Institute prep team at the peak of its glory 10 years ago was handed a new challenge.

Old friend Bill Bayno had asked Good to join him at Loyola Marymount for the 2008-09 season. When Bayno had to walk away, Good moved up one spot. After nearly 30 years as a head coach, an interim designation was now in front of his title.

What this Jesuit school really wanted was the next-best thing to a savior.

''We won three of our last six games,'' says Good. ''The only games we won all year. Our players kept their heads up and never backed down. At first they did it with a lot of urging. Keep grinding. I told them, we'll win.''

Three wins measured against 28 losses doesn't always produce hope. Good knew better.

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