Villanova Assistant Will Be Loyola Coach

The westward migration of the Villanova coaching staff will continue today when John Olive, the top assistant for the Wildcats, is named basketball coach at Loyola Marymount.

Olive’s hiring is expected to be announced at an 11 a.m. news conference, a week after Rollie Massimino ended a 19-year run as Villanova’s coach to take over the Nevada Las Vegas program.

Olive, 36, replaces Jay Hillock, who was fired last month after coaching Loyola to a 31-28 record in two seasons.

Olive was selected over several other Division I assistants, including Brad Holland of UCLA, Charles Bradley of Brigham Young, Ben Howland of UC Santa Barbara and Dave Fehte of Loyola’s staff.

Holland is considered a leading candidate for the Cal State Fullerton coaching job.

An assistant at Villanova for the last seven seasons, Olive previously worked for the Clippers for two years and was the team’s director of player personnel for the 1984-85 season.

Olive was Massimino’s first Villanova basketball recruit and enjoyed a successful playing career with the Wildcats, ranking among the top scorers and rebounders in school history upon his graduation in 1977.

A sixth-round draft choice of the Philadelphia 76ers, Olive played professional basketball in Belgium in 1977-78 and was with the San Diego Clippers in 1978-79 before a foot injury ended his career.