Skelton’s Return to Dana Hills One of Four County Coaching Changes : Basketball: He goes back after a one-year suspension. Kiernan moves from La Quinta to guide Savanna boys’ team. Rivera, Adams resign.

Four Orange County high school basketball coaches, including Rich Skelton of Dana Hills, were involved in job changes Thursday.

Skelton, who served a one-year suspension for violating a Southern Section rule, will return to his job at Dana Hills.

The three others are:

--Nash Rivera, who resigned as Santa Ana boys’ coach after one season at the school.

--Kevin Kiernan, who has been named the boys’ coach at Savanna after spending five seasons as girls’ coach at La Quinta. The Anaheim Union High School District board approved his appointment Thursday night, Savanna Principal William Wong said.

--Sheila Adams, who resigned as Foothill girls’ coach after 15 seasons at the school, Athletic Director Jerry Whitaker said.

The Capistrano Unified School District suspended Skelton last June for the season under the “undue influence rule” because Skelton had contact with the father of basketball player John Vivona before Vivona was enrolled at Dana Hills. Vivona, a transfer from Texas, later lived at Skelton’s home in Dana Point for three weeks in the fall of 1988.

Skelton acknowledged his guilt on both counts, but has taken issue with the penalty imposed.

However, he said the district made it clear to him that he would be allowed to return to his job after a year passed, if he so desired.

“I was a little discouraged,” said Skelton, a history teacher at Dana Hills. “I’ve been coaching for (25 years) and basically, I had a pretty good track record. I felt like what happened wasn’t fair. I was a little bitter about it. It dimmed my enthusiasm (for coaching).”

But Skelton said Thursday he decided last month to return to coach the Dolphins.

Rivera led Santa Ana to a 10-14 record and a third-place finish in the Century League this season.

He was the El Dorado boys’ coach from 1966-80, winning two Southern Section championships and five Orange League titles. He coached the girls’ team at El Dorado for three seasons before becoming an assistant coach at Chaffey College for one season in 1984.

In the five seasons before going to Santa Ana, Rivera was an assistant coach for the women’s team at UCLA.

“I’ve been in basketball a long time and maybe it’s time to change my priorities a little more,” said Rivera, 55, who cited family reasons for his decision.

Kiernan, while at La Quinta, established the Aztecs as the Garden Grove League’s dominant team. They won 54 consecutive league games and five league championships under him and were 112-24 overall. Kiernan also was an assistant to Jim Perry, La Quinta boys’ coach. “It’s a challenge,” Kiernan said. “I’ve done as much as I can do (at La Quinta) with the girls. It is real hard to leave because I put a lot of time in this program.”

Kiernan replaces Tom Gregory, who resigned at Savanna at the end of the season.

Adams’ teams won 12 league championships and played in three Southern Section championship games in her 15 seasons at Foothill, winning the 3-A title in 1985.

“I just think it’s time to move on,” said Adams, a former player at UCLA. “I want to go into other areas of education. And coaching was really time consuming.”

Adams will remain as Foothill activities director.

Times staff writer Donna Carter contributed to this story.