Wingate Names Brian Good As Head Men’s Basketball Coach

WINGATE, N.C. -- Wingate University president Dr. Jerry McGee and vice-president and director of athletics Steve Poston announce the appointment of Brian Good as head men's basketball coach. Good begins his new duties immediately. Good replaces Parker Laketa, who resigned this spring after eight seasons at the Bulldog helm.

A press conference will be held Wednesday, July 16 to introduce Coach Good to the Bulldog community. "Brian Good brings extensive head coaching experience to the table," Poston says. "He has had tremendous success at the NCAA Division II and Division III levels. We believe he is an ideal fit for Wingate University."

Most recently, Good spent four seasons as head men's basketball coach at Queens University of Charlotte. He led the Royals to a 72-45 overall record, helping Queens make back-to-back NCAA appearances in his final two seasons. A member of the ultra-competitive Conference Carolinas, the Royals have compiled a 51-29 league ledger during Good's tenure.

"I am very appreciative to Dr. McGee and Mr. Poston for giving me this opportunity," Good says. "I have had the chance to watch Wingate University men's basketball in close proximity the last four years. I believe I had a very good job (at Queens). I believe I have a great job (at Wingate)."

Good believes the pieces of the puzzle are in place to continue Wingate's success in men's basketball. "The staff, the campus and the facilities are top-notch," Good notes. "Wingate University is a place where we can build a championship program."

During the 2007-08 campaign, the Queens University of Charlotte Royals were 21-10 overall. In 2006-07, Queens completed the season 20-10 overall. The Royals lost in the 2007 NCAA Division II East Region quarter-finals to eventual national champion (and fellow league member) Barton College. For six of the last eight seasons, a Conference Carolinas member has been the East Region representative at the Elite Eight.

In addition to his coaching duties at Queens, Good spent three-and-a-half years as the school's NCAA Compliance Coordinator. On the hardwood, Good has 13 years of head coaching experience. Prior to his arrival in the Queen City, Good was the head men's basketball coach and associate athletic director at Milwaukee School of Engineering.

Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) is one of the nation's top engineering schools. Good helped the basketball program make great progress, as he led the Raiders to the 2002-03 Lake Michigan Conference tournament championship and a trip to the NCAA Division III post-season tournament.

Good was an assistant coach at the University of South Dakota for two seasons, guiding the Coyotes to the 1994 Elite Eight. USD won the North Central Regional and the North Central Conference tournament championship to earn the trip to the Elite Eight. During the 1992-93 season, Good was an assistant at Edgewood (Wis.) College. The Eagles captured the Lake Michigan Conference championship during the 1992-93 campaign.

While a basketball student-athlete at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he was a four-year letter winner and Big Ten Conference free throw champion.

A native of Rossville, Ind., Good received a M.A. degree in Athletic Administration from the University of South Dakota in 1995. He earned a B.S. degree in Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1993. Good and his wife Mary have two children: daughter Zoe (8) and son Carter (2).

"We were looking for three qualities in our head coach…" Poston acknowledges. "…head coaching experience, familiarity with our level of competition and our recruiting base and a keen understanding of the balance a student-athlete must achieve in NCAA Division II."

For example, Poston mentions the new NCAA Division II regionalization model. Next year, the South Atlantic Conference will compete against the Conference Carolinas (Good's former conference) and the Peach Belt Conference for NCAA regional championships. "Brian understands the high level of competition in our new region," Poston asserts. "He knows the quality of student-athlete we need to recruit to maintain our success (in men's basketball)."

Good's decade-plus experience at NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III schools gives him first-hand knowledge of the importance of the total college experience, Poston mentions. "We believe Brian Good's strengths in each of these areas will help us build on the successes our men's basketball program has achieved in the last decade," Poston adds. "We look forward to Brian and his family joining the Bulldog family."

The Bulldog men's basketball team made the best run in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball history in 2006-07. Wingate (25-9 overall in 2006-07) won the Food Lion SAC Tournament for the second consecutive season in 2007. The Bulldogs took the 2007 South Atlantic Regional title on their way to becoming the first SAC men's basketball team to participate in an NCAA Division II Elite Eight event.

In 2007-08, the Wingate men's basketball team compiled a 24-7 overall record. The Bulldogs shared the SAC regular season title with Lenoir-Rhyne College. Wingate advanced to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Division II play-offs, dropping a tough decision to eventual national runner-up Augusta State (Ga.) University.

Good hits the ground running, as he will spend most of this week recruiting. "We lost an outstanding senior class (from last season)," Good notes. "We can't afford to skip a beat."

In the first days of his Wingate tenure, Good has clear-cut objectives. "I want to get to know our returning players," he says. "I am excited about the opportunity to help them get an education, win basketball games and compete for national championships."

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a private four-year co-educational institution of 2,041 students, offering active learning opportunities through personalized instruction, international study, faith development, career discovery and community service.

Wingate offers 39 undergraduate majors in arts and sciences, business, education, fine arts, music and sport sciences. It also offers pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, education, physical education, physician assistant studies, sport administration and the doctor of pharmacy degree.

Bulldog student-athletes compete in 17 NCAA Division II sports. Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Athletic Excellence Award for the past two years.