After 2 Seasons, Is Hillock on the Hot Seat? : Basketball: Loyola Marymount coach has 31-28 record, but his two-year contract is up and officials are evaluating his performance.

Is Jay Hillock on his way out as the Loyola Marymount basketball coach?

That question has been asked repeatedly over the past two weeks after the Lions’ season came to a disappointing end with a 100-85 loss to the University of San Francisco in the first round of the West Coast Conference tournament March 7.

It was the second consecutive season that Loyola was upset in a WCC tournament opener by a lower-seeded Don team, effectively eliminating the Lions from postseason consideration and making the school’s final-eight finish in the 1990 NCAA tournament little more than a distant memory.

Hillock, who replaced the flamboyant Paul Westhead after the 1989-90 season, has borne the brunt of criticism aimed at Loyola the past two seasons. With his two-year contract up, Hillock is currently being evaluated by school administrators.

“We’re in that process right now,” Athletic Director Brian Quinn said. “I don’t have a time line, but obviously we want to make a decision as quickly as possible for all parties concerned.”

Quinn, expected to have the biggest say in whether Hillock stays or goes, gave the basketball team a mixed review for the past season. Loyola finished third in the eight-team WCC at 8-6 and had an overall record of 15-13.

“I thought at times we played well and other times we didn’t play very well,” Quinn said. “I think the basketball team in some ways was a disappointment. I thought we would be better than we were.

“I don’t like losing in the first round of the (WCC) tournament. We went in as the third seed and lost. I realize USF matches up with us because they are athletic, but that was a big disappointment to me.”

Asked what he expects of the basketball team, Quinn said: “I think every basketball team has to be taken individually. To judge success is an annual situation. My goals for the basketball team for the future are that we finish close to the top of the conference and vie for the conference title.”

Supporters of Hillock say it takes time to build a consistent winner. They point out that in Westhead’s first two seasons (1985-86 and 1986-87), the Lions were 31-27 with second- and eighth-place WCC finishes. In two seasons under Hillock, Loyola is 31-28 with second- and third-place WCC finishes.

“I really want to come back,” Hillock said. “I like the nucleus of young players we have back and the players we signed. I think in time we can be very successful.”

In his defense, Hillock said Loyola was hurt this season by the transfer of 6-foot-10 center Richard Petruska to UCLA. Without their leading rebounder from the 1990-91 season, the Lions were beaten badly on the boards in several big games. A smaller San Francisco team outrebounded Loyola, 47-28, in the WCC tournament.

“One of the problems we had through the season was rebounding and the ability to neutralize the opponents’ rebounding power,” Hillock said. “I’m sure we would have had four or five more wins with (Petruska) in the lineup.”

Hillock said Loyola’s rebounding should improve next season when 6-7 forward Zan Mason, a UCLA transfer and former Westchester High standout, becomes eligible. The Lions also return 6-8 center Christian Scott and two power forwards--6-9 Brian McCloskey and 6-7 Wyking Jones, a former St. Bernard High standout.

“(UCLA Coach) Jim Harrick told me that Zan Mason would lead our league in rebounding,” Hillock said. “We’ll never be what we want to be until we can dominate the glass.”

With that in mind, Hillock said he is considering a taller lineup that would have Scott, McCloskey and Mason in the front court, and 6-4 Rahim Harris moving from small forward to shooting guard.

Hillock said he is looking forward to coaching a team primarily made up of players he recruited. It is no secret that he had problems living up to the expectations of players who were part of the ground-breaking, run-and-gun style of play fashioned by Westhead.

Senior guard Terrell Lowery, the team’s leading scorer the past two seasons, was suspended for a game after a run-in with Hillock at practice, and he criticized Hillock after Loyola’s loss to San Francisco, charging that the coaching staff failed to properly prepare the players.

Some Loyola fans also grew disgruntled with Hillock, who was the target of derisive comments on several occasions. At one point, it was rumored that Loyola considered not announcing Hillock’s name during pregame introductions because of the boos.

Living up to the memory of the 1989-90 Loyola team hasn’t been easy. But it should be remembered that Hillock inherited no starters from that team, which was 26-6 and featured such talented players as Hank Gathers, Bo Kimble and Jeff Fryer.

“Going to the (NCAA) final eight was really kind of incredible,” Quinn acknowledged. “But you really don’t want to use that as your yardstick for measuring the team, or everyone on the West Coast for the past 10 years would be considered a failure.”

Hillock said judging all future Loyola teams by the 1989-90 squad “distorts reality with boosters and players.”

The hard reality confronting Hillock is that he might not return to coach Loyola next season. But he remains optimistic that he will be rehired.

“Ultimately, (Loyola) will be fair and I will be given another chance,” he said. “If things don’t pick up next season, then I think they would make a change. But I don’t think they will do it now. I don’t think it would be in their best interests and I think it would be totally unfair.”

It was rumored that UCLA assistant Brad Holland was a candidate to replace Hillock. Holland, though, said he has had no contact with Loyola.

“Like everyone else, I heard the job might be open, but that’s all I’ve heard,” said Holland, who has also been mentioned as a candidate for coaching vacancies at Cal State Fullerton and Wisconsin.

“I know Jay Hillock and I don’t want to see anybody lose their job.”