Aggers Is Fired as Coach

Loyola Marymount fired men’s basketball Coach Steve Aggers on Wednesday, less than a week after the Lions were eliminated in the first round of the West Coast Conference tournament.

Aggers, 57, was let go after an 11-17 season that concluded Friday with a 91-79 loss to Pepperdine, his fourth losing season in five seasons as coach.

Loyola finished in last place during WCC play and never finished higher than fifth in Aggers’ tenure. The failure to move into the top half of the conference is what cost him his job.

“There’s no textbook that you can go ahead and consult that will tell you whether or not making a change is the right thing to do,” said Athletic Director Bill Husak, who informed Aggers of his decision during a morning meeting.

“It was just my feeling that we needed to change our direction a little bit and go ahead to compete for the West Coast Conference championship.”

Aggers said he had no idea such a move was being considered and that the news “kind of feels like you got punched in the stomach.”

“I just wished they would have shown more patience,” he said. “Maybe their thinking is five years is patience enough, but it’s not where this program was when I arrived.”

Aggers took over at Loyola Marymount after a 2-26 team went winless in WCC play. He improved the win total by seven in his first season with only seven scholarship players.

The Lions improved to 11-20 in 2002-03 and finished 15-14 last season, the school’s first winning mark in eight years. Last April, Aggers received a two-year contract extension.

There were high hopes at the start of this season. The Lions were 8-3 on Dec. 29 with close losses to Washington and Virginia. Injuries to two starters, guard Brandon Worthy and forward Adoyah Evans-Miller, derailed them.

“I’m proud of leaving [the program] in better condition than when I arrived,” Aggers said.

Husak said he has no timetable to name a successor but indicated that assistant Brian Priebe, 31, would be considered for the permanent position. He has been designated as the interim coach.

Mike Dunlap of Division II power Metro State in Denver could be a candidate. Dunlap, who spent five seasons as an assistant with the Lions, turned down the job before Aggers was hired and has passed on other opportunities at Long Beach State, San Francisco and Oregon State.

Former San Francisco coach Phil Mathews is another possibility. Mathews, who coached this season at San Bernardino Valley College, guided the Dons for nine seasons before being fired after last season.