Hattrup Hired as Assistant at Brea-Olinda

John Hattrup, who led the Mission Viejo High School girls’ basketball team to the 3-A championship in 1987, has resigned his head coaching position to become an assistant girls’ coach at Brea-Olinda High next season.

Hattrup will primarily work with the post players, said Mark Trakh, Brea-Olinda coach. Hattrup, who said he was frustrated because he was not hired as a teacher at Mission Viejo, will be a substitute teacher in the Brea Unified School District.

“I’m looking forward to having him,” Trakh said. “Between us we’ve been to eight Southern Section finals, so I’m pretty happy.”

Hattrup started his coaching career at Mission Viejo in 1978 when he was 19. Since then, Mission Viejo won seven South Coast League championships and two Southern Section championships--1982 and 1987.

However, when Hattrup was not able to get a teaching position, he said he would resign at the end of the 1987 season.

“I’ve been waiting a long time. Ten years is a long time,” Hattrup said in March. “I’m just real frustrated. I’ve got to think of my future.”

Trakh said Hattrup approached him about coming to Brea-Olinda.

“I ran it by my principal (Jean Sullivan) and she was really excited about him coming here,” Trakh said. “She put him at the head of our substitute teacher list.”

Trakh had applied for the head coaching position of the UC Santa Barbara women’s basketball team, but was informed several days ago he would not get the job.