Before Bill Bayno was hired as Loyola Marymount’s head coach in April, the Los Angeles university was a complete unknown to Terrell Vinson.

Vinson, who transferred to St. Frances from Montrose Christian for his senior year, was weighing scholarship offers from Maryland, Georgetown, Villanova and several others when Bayno took the job and began recruiting the 6-foot-6 small forward.

“When they first started recruiting me, I didn’t really know about the school,” Vinson said. “Over time, [Bayno] was just calling me and talking to me, telling me things I needed to work on. He was straight-up with me. He went with a humble approach.”

That approach paid off for Bayno last week when Vinson, a four-star prospect and Rivals.com's No. 81 player in the country, committed to LMU.

While Vinson didn’t know much about the Lions last spring, that began to change throughout the summer, culminating with a visit to LMU’s elite camp in August. Vinson was immediately impressed with Bayno’s coaching style.

“He showed me a lot and I got better,” Vinson said. “[There were] little things like hitting somebody with your shoulder, using your left hand more, improving your foot speed and handle. ... He’s very active in his coaching. He’s not the type of coach that’s just going to sit on the sidelines. He’s out on the floor directing and he has a lot of energy when he coaches.”

Loyola Marymount finished 5-26 last year. The Lions haven’t finished with a record above .500 since the 2003-04 season. But LMU’s recent struggles weren’t a concern for Vinson, who said he’s excited to be a part of a new beginning, and is confident Bayno’s experience as an NBA assistant and college head coach will make an immediate difference in the program’s fortunes.

“I mean he has coached in the past for the Portland Trailblazers and UNLV and UMass,” Vinson said. “He was successful with his past players and successful developing players to the pros. ... Zach Randolph and Brandon Roy all got better when they were at Portland.”

Vinson said he’s excited to be back home in Baltimore for his senior season. But he’ll also be ready to make the 2,700-mile journey to Los Angeles next year.

“I’m looking forward to it,“ Vinson said. “It’s definitely a challenge to go all the way across the country away from home. And it’s a challenge I’m willing to take on.”