Skelton Is Named Dana Hills Basketball Coach

Rich Skelton, assistant basketball coach at Saddleback College for the past five years, was named Thursday to replace Steve Thornton as the Dana Hills High School basketball coach.

Skelton, 45, has 11 years of experience as a head coach on the high school level, including four seasons at San Clemente. He compiled a record of 196-90 at Workman, San Clemente and Grand Island (Neb.) high schools.

Skelton was named the South Coast League’s coach of the year in his first season at San Clemente in 1978 and coached teams that advanced to the Southern Section playoffs in eight of his nine seasons in Southern California.

Skelton has been a history teacher at Dana Hills for five years.

Skelton had previously been named to replace Bill Brummel, Saddleback basketball coach, on an interim basis next season while Brummel went on sabbatical.

Among the other candidates interviewed for the position were former San Clemente star Eric Christensen, now head coach at Needles; Brian Mulligan, Capistrano Valley assistant; Tom Reich, Dana Hills assistant, and Russ Keith, Fallbrook’s first-year coach.