Boys’ basketball: It’s pupil vs. teacher when Buckley faces Harvard-Westlake

More than 10 years ago, Mike Hamilton was an assistant coach at Harvard-Westlake and not looking to go anywhere. Harvard-Westlake Coach Greg Hilliard decided to give him a little push, telling him he was ready to become a head coach.

Hamilton took the job at Sherman Oaks Buckley in 2003, and on Tuesday night, it will be the pupil taking on the teacher when Buckley plays Harvard-Westlake at St. Genevieve in a Southern Section Division 4AA playoff game.

“Greg is still my mentor,” said Hamilton, whose team is 29-0. “I love Greg. He believed in me more than I believed in myself.”

Said Hilliard: “He was unsure whether he wanted to leave where he was at and he was wondering whether he was ready to be a head coach. There was a lot of indecision. I encouraged him to go there because I felt he’d be a person of influence on that campus. He’s not just a basketball coach. He’s changed some lives. I’m extremely proud of him.”

Harvard-Westlake (13-15) pulled out a 98-96 overtime victory over Maranatha last week to reach Tuesday’s game. The Wolverines have struggled at times because of an ankle injury to leading scorer Derick Newton, who continues to play despite not being 100%.

Buckley’s best wins this season have come against San Diego Parker and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. The Griffins are seeded No. 1 in the tournament. The winner will advance to a semifinal game against either JSerra or Crespi on Friday.

“I’m excited,” Hamilton said.

The two private schools are 2.3 miles apart.

“We’ll go for a team jog to warm up,” Hilliard said.

Eric.sondheimer@latimes.com