SportsScope : Pitzer Names New Basketball Coach

Charles Katsiaficas, an assistant at the University of San Diego last season, has been named men’s basketball coach at Pomona-Pitzer College in Claremont.

Katsiaficas replaces Gregg Popovich, who resigned after nine seasons to become an assistant with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs.

It is the second coaching stop at Pomona-Pitzer for Katsiaficas, who was an assistant under Popovich from 1984 through 1987. Katsiaficas was interim coach during the 1986-87 season while Popovich was on sabbatical leave.

Katsiaficas guided the team to a second-place finish in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference during that season and Popovich said he expects a smooth coaching transition.

“This is the second time around for him,” Popovich said. “I think the program’s in more than capable hands because he already did it when I was gone before. It’s like the program didn’t miss a beat without me. When I came back it was like the players said, ‘Who are you?”’

Before arriving at Pomona-Pitzer, Katsiaficas was an assistant coach for a professional team in Sweden for one season. He was also a three-year varsity player for Tufts University in Massachusetts.

Lowell Thomas, who coached North Hollywood High School for the last five years, has been named men’s soccer coach at Occidental College.

Thomas, whose North Hollywood teams posted a record of 36-21-11 and reached the L.A. City playoffs three times in five seasons, will have his first game as coach against Point Loma Nazarene on Sept. 8 on the school’s new soccer field.