SPORTSCOPE : Pomona Names Basketball Coach

Paul Thomas, women’s basketball coach at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn., for the past two seasons, has been named an assistant coach for the Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball team.

Thomas will become the team’s top assistant. Longtime assistant coach Barb Thaller will remain on the staff as Pomona’s second assistant while she concentrates on earning a teaching credential.

Paula Tezak, the team’s second assistant last year, resigned to become women’s volleyball coach at Fullerton College.

Pomona, which is coached by Darlene May, was 29-4 and finished third in the NCAA Division II last season.

Occidental College has selected coaches for its swimming and water polo teams.

Peggy Lynn Carl has been chosen as men’s and women’s swim coach and Pete Loporchio was named water polo coach.

Carl, who has coached the women’s swim team at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., since 1983, was also former captain of the swim team at Whittier College.

A coach at Glendale High since 1985, Loporchio guided his team into the CIF Southern Section playoffs four of the past five seasons and coached the school’s freshman/sophomore team to three league titles in four seasons.

Alex Henderson, an assistant coach at Rancho Santiago Community College the past five years, has been named football coach at Rio Hondo College.

Rancho Santiago won back-to-back Mission Conference titles. It finished 10-1 last season. Henderson was also defensive coordinator at Huntington Beach High for four years.

“Alex comes to us very highly recommended,” said Ellie Bewley, assistant dean of physical education at Rio Hondo. “He comes from a program at Rancho Santiago that was in the cellar with a lot of problems and helped it become one of the most respected in the state.”

Henderson said he has retained Mike Chavez as the team’s offensive line coach and added Ron Milner, a former coach at Marina High in Huntington Beach and Cal State Fullerton, as defensive coordinator. He also expects to add three more coaches to his staff.

The first Hall of Fame Game football coaches clinic will be held July 20 at 1 p.m. at Citrus College stadium.

The free clinic for high school, college and youth coaches will include sessions on defensive strategies and trends in high school coaching.

Participants will also receive two complimentary tickets to the 11th annual Hall of Fame Game, which matches top graduated seniors from throughout the San Gabriel Valley. The game is July 20 at 7:30 p.m. at Citrus.