Q & A WITH BILL MULLIGAN:

UC Irvine men’s basketball coach Pat Douglass needs one more win to surpass Bill Mulligan, who coached the Anteaters for 11 seasons from 1980 to 1991.

Mulligan, who turns 78 on Feb. 24, still follows the Anteaters from his San Clemente home, which he shares with his wife, Dorothy.

Mulligan also follows the exploits of the Capistrano Valley High boys’ basketball team, which is coached by his son, Brian Mulligan.

Bill Mulligan was 163-156 at UCI, where he coached the late Kevin Magee, a two-time Associated Press All-American, as well as future NBA players Tod Murphy, Scott Brooks, Ben McDonald, Bob Thornton and Johnny Rogers.

He led the Anteaters to NIT appearances in 1982 and 1986, the latter producing a first-round victory over UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.

He was Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. (now Big West) Coach of the Year in 1986, when UCI beat nationally ranked UNLV twice in 12 days. UCI defeated UNLV six times in the 1980s, the most wins by any school against the then-powerful Runnin’ Rebels, coached by Jerry Tarkanian.

Mulligan, reached by phone last week, reflected a bit on his tenure at UCI, and the state of the Anteaters’ program.

Question: What is your favorite coaching memory?

Answer: Probably beating UCLA twice and beating Vegas six times, when the league was really good. There were a lot tougher teams in the league than some of them now.

Q: What was the best thing about coaching at UCI?

A: Well, I think when we ended up having the new gym built [the 5,000-seat Bren Events Center opened in 1987] and everyone was so excited about it, compared to what had before that [at Crawford Hall]. It was great feeling to have the new gym and it sold out quite a few games.

Q: What is the most important attribute a coach can have?

A: Probably getting along with the players and being able to communicate with them. I think that was the best thing we had going. We communicated well with the players.

Q: Do you have a favorite recruiting story?

A: Well, I think, a guy by the name of Jack Holly, who had a player come and was very interested in going to his school and Jack called me and said ‘Bill this guy is too good for our team.’ [The player] turned out to be Kevin Magee, who was the best player I ever coached. Every time Jack Holly came out to see me and visit, we made sure he got everything he wanted and everything he needed. He was a wonderful friend.

Q: UCI baseball finished third at the College World Series in June and the men’s volleyball team won an NCAA championship in May. Can UCI men’s basketball go to the Final Four?

A: I think the hardest thing would just be getting in [the NCAA Tournament, in which UCI has never competed]. We got to different places, but never went to the NCAAs. It would be a great achievement, but some things just don’t happen.

Q: Why is winning consistently at UCI so difficult?

A: Probably because of the academic problems and the majors they offer. There weren’t as many majors as there were at a lot of other schools. Getting players interested in going to a school that didn’t have the majors that other schools do [was problematic].

Q: Does Pat Douglass get enough credit?

A: I think he’s done really well, under the circumstances, and how tough the school is [academically]. I don’t think he gets the credit he should get, and I’m sure that he gets disappointed.

Q: What’s the best thing about retirement?

A: Watching my son Brian’s team play. I see almost every game they play. They had a big win [Feb. 5] against Mission Viejo and he’s gonna be in the playoffs again, with another 20-win season.

Q: Who is the best coach in the Mulligan family?

A: Probably Brian. I could say myself because I coached about 40-45 years. But I think Brian is the best coach.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].