CORVALLIS, Ore. – Heading into the 2020-21 year, 24 student-athletes were named to the Cascade Collegiate Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), representing their schools.
Max McCullough is one of two SAAC reps from Eastern Oregon University, along with
Jet Taylor. The men’s basketball player chose EOU to continue his playing and academic careers “because of the history of the men's basketball program, the coaching staff, and the location, which allows my family to watch me play.”
EOU has also given McCullough influential people in his life.
“Some influential people in my life at my school are some of the professors and coaches I have had,” said McCullough. “These individuals have all helped me grow as a student, athlete, and person.”
The Post Falls, Idaho, native helped the Mountaineers advance to the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship Tournament and earned All-CCC honors last year. His freshman year, McCullough helped EOU earn a trip to the NAIA National Tournament.
“My best experience athletically was making the national tournament my freshman year and advancing to the round of 16,” said McCullough.” Academically, my best experience was graduating with my undergraduate degree in Business Administration and Communications.”
McCullough took a medical redshirt year in 2018-19 so he still has one season left to play after earning his bachelor’s degree this past year. Now, he’s working on his Master of Business Administration.
“After graduation I have hopes of playing professional basketball,” said McCullough. “When my basketball career comes to an end, I plan on pursuing a career in marketing management.”
While excelling on the court, McCullough also excels in the classroom and posted a 4.0 undergraduate GPA, earning CoSIDA Academic All-American honors.
This year may look a little different for the grad student as the pandemic has affected his off-season training, but McCullough is used to the demands of being a student-athlete.
“COVID-19 has mostly affected my ability to train for this upcoming season, as it has been very difficult to find gyms to get into,” said McCullough.
McCullough will surely rise to the occasion on the court and hopes being a SAAC rep will help him make a difference off the court as well.
“Building relationships with fellow SAAC reps and making a difference not only at my university, but throughout the whole Cascade Conference,” said McCullough on being a SAAC rep.