Pepperdine Assistant Hawking Joins UC Davis Basketball Staff

Bob Hawking, a former Simi Valley High coach and Pepperdine assistant, has been hired as an assistant basketball coach at UC Davis.

Hawking joins the staff of Coach Bob Williams, hired last month to replace Lonnie Williams (no relation). Bob Williams and Hawking served as assistants together for two seasons under Tom Asbury at Pepperdine.

Williams and Hawking inherit a team that placed fifth in the Northern California Athletic Conference with a 7-7 record, 11-16 overall. Davis is an NCAA Division II school that offers no athletic scholarships.

The team includes two players with area connections: Kevin Black and Brian Jones. Black is a 6-foot-8 sophomore forward who played at Chaminade, and Jones is a 6-4 freshman guard from Notre Dame. Black missed much of last season because of an injured knee and Jones played sparingly.

Hawking, 40, transformed Simi Valley into a Marmonte League power in his 14 seasons with the program. He compiled a 230-119 record and led the Pioneers to five league titles. In his final three seasons, Simi Valley won 81 of 90 games and three league titles.

In 1988, Simi Valley won the Southern Section 4-A Division title in Hawking’s last season with a team led by Don MacLean, a high school All-American who plays at UCLA, and Hawking’s son, Butch, who plays at the Air Force Academy.

Hawking could not be reached for comment on his appointment.