COMMUNITY COLLEGE NOTES : Hernandez Named Coach of Irvine Valley Basketball

Jerry Hernandez, an assistant at Cerritos College, has been selected men’s basketball coach at Irvine Valley, the college announced Wednesday.

Hernandez will be introduced at a news conference today at the college. The hiring has to be officially approved at the June 12 meeting of the Saddleback Community College District board of trustees.

Hernandez would succeed Bill Mulligan, who retired at the end of the season. The Irvine Valley job is a part-time position.

Hernandez played at La Mirada High and Cerritos College and has been an assistant at Cal Poly Pomona and Paramount, Sonora and Tustin high schools.

Mulligan, perhaps the best-known college basketball coach in Orange County history, coached at Saddleback and UC Irvine before coming out of retirement to start the Irvine Valley program three years ago.

He led the Lasers to a 56-46 record and made the playoffs each year. Irvine Valley went 22-12 last season and won its first playoff game.