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SoCalHoops College Basketball News

Tom McCluskey Resigns At Golden West;
Hatton Is New Coach--(Aug.4, 1998)

Tom McCluskey who was only the third men's basketball coach in the 32-year history of Golden West College, tendered his resignation on Monday according to Athletic Director Tom Hermstad. The reasons cited by McCluskey were both "personal and professional." McCluskey took over the program in 1994 and had an overall 38-86 record in his four years as head coach. McCluskey's best season record was in 1995-96, with a 14-21 year. The Rustlers lost to eventual state champion Ventura in the first round of the Southern California playoffs that year.

Truiett Hatton, a Golden West assistant the past six seasons, will take over for McCluskey immediately as the interim coach for the 1998-99 season, Hermstad said. Hatton joined the staff at Golden West under former head coach Jim Greenfield in 1992 as an assistant. He is a graduate of Marina High in Orange County, he also played for Golden West in 1980, 1981 and 1982. He ranks as the third highest Rustler scorer for career scoring with 1,158 points; he also rankes third in career assists with a total of 286.