IN BRIEF : Ohio U. Fires Basketball Coach

Billy Hahn, who had a 42-45 record in his three seasons as head basketball coach at Ohio University, was fired today by athletic director Harold McElhaney.

The Bobcats were 12-17 this season, including a last-place mark of 5-11 in the Mid-American Conference, despite being the preseason choice to win the league.

Ohio was beaten 62-46 in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament Friday by No. 18 Ball State.

“This is the part of my job that I hate,” McElhaney said at a news conference this morning. “I met with Billy this morning and explained to him the reasons for this decision.”

Hahn, from Mishawaka, Ind., graduated from Maryland University in 1975 after playing guard for Coach Lefty Driesell for four years. He was an assistant coach at Morris Harvey the 1975-76 season, was at Davidson College the next season and was at Rhode Island 1977-80.

Former Ohio coach Danny Nee hired Hahn in 1980 as his top assistant. He remained in that position until 1986, and when Nee took the head coaching job at Nebraska, Hahn was promoted.