Fraschilla Is Hired by New Mexico

Brooklyn-born Fran Fraschilla finally will get to go West as the new coach at New Mexico.

Fired last year at St. John’s after developing an interest in the coaching vacancy at Arizona State, Fraschilla was hired Saturday by the Lobos.

“I’m a basketball junkie and the chance to coach in one of the best environments in college basketball is just a dream,” Fraschilla said during a telephone conference call from the Final Four in St. Petersburg, Fla.

His hiring at New Mexico came four days after Dave Bliss resigned to take the coaching job at Baylor.

Bliss left as the winningest coach in New Mexico history with a record of 246-108 in 11 seasons. He led the Lobos to seven NCAA tournaments in the last nine seasons.

New Mexico was 25-9 this season and lost to Connecticut at the West Regional. In Bliss’ final four seasons, the Lobos won 102 games, but Bliss became the target of increasing criticism from fans and the media for the Lobos’ inability to advance further than the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Fraschilla, who coached St. John’s to its first NCAA tournament bid since 1993, said he was ready for the mania and fish bowl atmosphere in Albuquerque, where the Lobos are the only game in town and annually rank among the top 10 schools nationally in home attendance.

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Coaches Carolyn Peck of Purdue and Cliff Ellis of Auburn are the recipients of the 1999 John and Nellie Wooden Awards as the nation’s top coaches.

The Utah Tip Off Club, which presents the awards in honor of the renowned former UCLA coach and his late wife.

Peck’s Big Ten-champion Lady Boilermakers will play in tonight’s NCAA championship game against Duke. She has led Purdue to a 33-1 record in her second season at the school.

Ellis’ Auburn Tigers were one of the big surprises in college basketball, as finished 29-4 and the Southeastern Conference title.