Good was the ‘interim’ guy after all

Steve Addy

Thursday, March 29, 2001 | 10:48 a.m.

It appears that Max Good was the Rebels' "interim" coach after all.

Though Good wasn't assigned the interim label when he replaced the fired Bill Bayno on Dec. 12, he still won't be back as UNLV's coach.

Good finally got to interview for the permanent job Wednesday, but the post has been offered to former Saint Louis coach Charlie Spoonhour and he has accepted, UNLV sources said.

Despite coaching the Rebels to a 13-9 record, including two wins over Mountain West co-champion Wyoming, Good's chances of keeping the job were never high, according to university insiders.

When UNLV offered the coaching job to Rick Pitino, it was viewed as a rare opportunity to obtain a big-name coach, and it didn't necessarily indicate that UNLV was unhappy with Good's handling of the team.

But when the university started pursuing other candidates, like Rick Majerus, Gene Keady, Billy Tubbs and Ben Howland, it became clear that Good wasn't high on UNLV's priority list.

UNLV insiders said Good's one-hour interview with AD Charlie Cavagnaro and president Carol Harter was done as a courtesy, and possibly to pacify fans who have grown more vocal in their support of Good.

"I felt (the interview) went well," Good said Wednesday. "I wasn't uncomfortable. It's like when you're taking a test in school -- you know when you're doing well."

But Good didn't sound optimistic that he would keep the job. He said he was "planning for the worst, but hoping for the best."

"I'm not concerned about myself as much as my assistant coaches," Good said. "I feel we have the best chance to keep the players who are already here and the incoming players.

"I think we could provide a couple of winning years while these (NCAA) sanctions are in place. Then if we weren't getting it done, they wouldn't have to tell me goodbye. I would turn the job over on my own volition."

There has been speculation that Good and some assistants might be asked to stay by Spoonhour, but Good said, "At this point, that's not something I'm interested in. But I'll be coaching somewhere next year."

Good has had offers to be an assistant coach at various schools, including Colorado, sources said.