After being named the interim head coach in April upon East Central University Men's Basketball Head Coach Chris Crutchfield stepped down,
Max Pendery has officially been named the 12
th head coach at ECU.
Pendery joined the Tigers' staff for the 2020-21 season as an assistant coach. He helped lead ECU to a 10-9 overall record and a 9-8 mark in the Great American Conference West Division, in a season shortened due to COVID-19.
The season saw two players claim All-GAC honors, as
Josh Apple and
Jalen Crutchfield were both named to the second team. Apple was one of two players to set single-season top-10 marks in the season, while three players combined to set six top-10 career records.
During the year, ECU set two top-10 single season marks, ranking No. 10 in field goal percentage (.470) and No. 9 in three-point field goal percentage (.375). ECU also advanced to the GAC Tournament Championship, falling in the quarterfinals.
Pendery came to ECU after spending a season at the University of Arkansas as a graduate assistant, with Crutchfield, where he worked closely with skill development and scouting reports, while assisting with recruiting and practices.
Prior to joining the staff at Arkansas, Pendery was a men's basketball graduate assistant at Ashland University for two seasons, where he assisted with all aspects of the program. He helped the Eagles advance to the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in 28 years.
Pendery headed to Ashland after spending three seasons as the varsity assistant coach and head junior varsity coach at Cincinnati Christian University. He assisted with all aspects of the men's basketball program, including the preparation of scouting reports, recruiting, skill workouts, practices, film sessions, travel and team community service.
In three seasons with the Eagles, the team reached the NAIA national tournament in 2016 and saw two 20-plus winning seasons. While at CCU, the staff was awarded the 2016 NCCAA Region Coaching of the Year honor.
Through his coaching experience, Pendery helped develop multiple players that advanced to the professional level.
Pendery played for the Stan Kimbrough Ballers at the AAU level, while also playing for Mariemont High School as a prep.
The Cincinnati, Ohio, native earned a bachelor's degree in sports management from Ohio University in 2014 and an MBA in finance from Ashland in 2019.
