COLLEGE NOTES / ALAN DROOZ : Hillock Loses One Coach, Adds Another to His Staff : Colleges: New Loyola Marymount basketball coach names Mark Armstrong part-time assistant after chief assistant Judas Prada jumps to Denver Nuggets.

The complexion of the Loyola Marymount basketball coaching staff continues to change as the top assistant has left to join Paul Westhead in the NBA and a former Lions player has been added to the staff.

Jay Hillock, who moved up from chief assistant to head coach when Westhead jumped to the Denver Nuggets, has added former Loyola forward Mark Armstrong to his staff in a part-time position.

He is also looking to fill the position of No. 1 assistant after Judas Prada left this week to join Westhead’s staff in Denver. Prada was Loyola’s recruiting coordinator. With practice starting Oct. 15 and the preseason signing period approaching in early November, Hillock needs to find a replacement quickly.

Armstrong, who has been working in the Loyola admissions office after graduating in 1988, was co-captain of the 1987-88 team that won 25 consecutive games and finished with a school-record 28-4 record and 14-0 West Coast Conference mark. Armstrong, a rugged inside player, ranks third in Loyola career rebounds with 825. As a four-year starter, the Riverside native recorded single-game highs of 25 points and 19 rebounds, and as a junior he tied for the WCC rebounding title, averaging nine per game.

He also set a Lion career record for fouls--with some justification. At 6-foot-6, he was the team’s most dependable physical player his last two seasons. He drew the unenviable task of covering some of the nation’s top big men, from North Carolina’s J. R. Reid and Wyoming’s 6-11 Eric Leckner to conference foes Levy Middlebrooks at Pepperdine and Mark McCathrion at San Francisco.

Although he’s taking a pay cut to move into coaching, Armstrong becomes the first paid black basketball coach at Loyola in memory (Jimmy Ellis was a volunteer assistant for several years under Westhead). As a player, Armstrong was admired for his leadership, maturity and work ethic. The athletic department hopes that carries over into coaching.

“He always wanted to try it. I think he’ll be a great addition,” Hillock said. “He’s well-liked at the school, the players like him and he can meet some of their needs. (The choice) was a natural.”

Armstrong will work individually with the inside players and will oversee weight training.

“He fills several things I was looking for,” Hillock said. “I wanted someone young, who knew his way around the school and someone who had some feeling for the school. . . . He already likes the way it breaks up his schedule, after working office jobs for a couple years.”

The Loyola women’s volleyball team (5-9) travels to San Diego for a nonconference match at U.S. International tonight, then opens West Coast Conference play Saturday at the University of San Diego. USD (6-8) is off to its best start since the WCC started conference play in 1985. However, the Lions hold a 9-1 advantage in the series.

Lions captain Kerry House was named to the all-tournament team at the Coors Light Invitational in Colorado last week, collecting 74 kills and 35 digs in three matches. She is second in the WCC with 4.6 kills per game, and leads with five digs per game.

Pepperdine, ranked 14th, was named the favorite to repeat as WCC champ in a preseason poll of conference coaches. Loyola was picked sixth. However, the Lions have played competitively under first-year Coach Steve Stratos.

Notes

Jeanna Price broke her week-old Cal State Dominguez Hills record for assists in a volleyball match with 59 against Sonoma State. The freshman had 50 in a match a week earlier. Freshman teammate Gale Derricott set another Toros record in the Sonoma match with 26 kills in 51 attempts. That broke a 3-year-old record of 21 set by Houri Garabed. . . . The Dominguez Hills women’s soccer team, ranked third in the West, has outshot opponents, 129-32, but has only outscored them, 8-7. “We’ve outplayed every team so far. We just can’t find the back of the net,” Toro Coach Marine Cano said. The Lady Toros play host to the University of Denver at 3 p.m. Sunday. . . . Martin Mira recorded his 15th assist for the Dominguez Hills soccer team, making him the men’s career leader. The senior out of San Pedro also scored the game-winning goal in a 3-2 victory over Grand Canyon College. The Toros play at Cal State San Bernardino at 2 p.m. today, then are home to play Sacramento State at 1 p.m. Sunday. . . . Two Loyola freshman set course records last weekend in a cross-country meet at Pepperdine. Rick Sansing ran 23:41 over 4 1/2 miles for a men’s record and Amy Harootian set a women’s course mark of 20:15 for five kilometers. Both teams runs at the UC Riverside Invitational Saturday.