Thate Leaves as Mulligan’s Assistant Coach

Bob Thate, an assistant basketball coach at UC Irvine for four years, has left the program, according to sources close to the program. The parting was described as a mutual agreement with Coach Bill Mulligan.

Thate, whose primary duties were recruiting and instruction, was popular with the players and often served as a buffer between Mulligan and the team. On at least one occasion, Thate had dissuaded Mulligan from dismissing a key player from the team for disciplinary reasons.

Last year, Thate was a vocal proponent of the run-and-gun style that backfired on the Anteaters early in the season and later was abandoned by Mulligan. But sources indicated Thate’s offensive philosophy was not a factor in the decision.

Thate, 42, served as an assistant at Loyola Marymount, New Mexico and Pepperdine. He played two seasons (1965-67) at USC when Mulligan was a Trojan assistant and later was an All-American at Occidental College.

Both Thate and Mulligan were unavailable for comment.