Max Good has coached Division I college basketball amid both Kentucky’s bluegrass and the glitz of Las Vegas.

He’s helped mold the careers of such NBA players as Brad Miller, Cuttino Mobley, and Caron Butler.

And now he’s one win away from a national championship.

Good, a Gardiner native, will lead Bryant University of Smithfield, R.I., into Saturday’s NCAA Division II championship game for the first time in school history after the Bulldogs defeated Tarleton State of Stephenville, Texas, 60-55 in a national semifinal Thursday night at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.

Bryant (25-8) will face the winner of Thursday’s late semifinal between Virginia Union and Lynn University of Boca Raton, Fla., for the national title at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Good’s team has other Maine connections, with sophomore forward Dan Hammond of Brunswick in the starting lineup and senior guard Josh Longstaff of Portland coming off the bench.

Hammond, who helped Brunswick High win the 2002 Maine Class A championship, had six points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 29 minutes against Tarleton State. Longstaff did not play in the semifinal.

In addition, Tom Sherman, a graduate of George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill and Husson College, is a second-year assistant coach for the Bulldogs. He served as a student assistant coach for the Husson men’s team during the 2000-01 season before joining the staff at Plymouth State for two years.

Bryant placed sixth in the final Northeast 10 Conference regular-season standings, but advanced to the championship game of the conference tournament before losing to Saint Anselm of Manchester, N.H., 81-79 in overtime.

The effort earned the Bulldogs an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II tournament, where Good’s team has defeated Adelphi, Bloomfield, Bentley, Mount Olive, and Tarleton State to reach the national championship game.

Good has coached at Bryant for four years, elevating the Bulldogs from a 7-19 record his first year there to three straight conference tournament appearances and two trips to the NCAA tourney.

Good came to Bryant after spending the 2000-01 season as head coach at Nevada-Las Vegas. He led UNLV to a 13-9 record after taking over from former head coach Bill Bayno. He was in his second season as an assistant with the Runnin’ Rebels when he was elevated to head coach.

Good is best known in Maine for his 10 years as head coach of the MCI postgraduate program. While in Pittsfield, Good compiled a record of 275-30 and won five New England Prep School Athletic Conference championships. He coached nine players who reached the NBA.

Before returning to Maine, Good spent five seasons as head coach at his alma mater, Eastern Kentucky, where he had a 96-129 record and was named Ohio Valley Conference coach of the year in 1987.