Bakersfield College’s new basketball coach is not the person who was reportedly hired in April of last semester.

Rich Hughes, a former coach at Allen Hancock College in Santa Maria for nine years, was hired as BC’s head basketball coach in June.

Hughes, 36, was raised primarily in Orange County, but his sophomore and junior years of high school were in Bakersfield at West High, when his father was an assistant basketball coach at Cal State Bakersfield. He has been coaching community college basketball for 10 years, nine as an assistant.

Hughes’ brother Jeff is a former coach of Bakersfield College basketball. He coached both as an assistant and as a head coach before George Nessman.

Hughes said that he is pleased with the talent level of players currently seeking to try out for the team. At the moment there are 30 students trying out, and Hughes said the figure will be cut down to somewhere around 15 players.

“We have some kids that like to work hard, which is a plus,” he said. Hughes said it was too early to determine what the team will look like once the season starts in November.

Rudy Washington was the coach who was reportedly hired back in April.

Washington, a former commissioner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, was fired from his post there, according to an Associated Press article. The conference alleged he overpaid himself $78,750 and failed to document more than $99,000 in expenses. He was reportedly hired as BC’s head basketball coach last spring after Brent Davis announced he was taking an assistant coaching position at San Jose State University.

In an interview with The Rip in April, Bill Cordero, the then-interim vice-president of student services, said, “Rudy Washington is a former community college and Division I coach. He has strong coaching skills and excellent contacts in two-year and four-year schools,” when asked what qualities were of influence in BC’s hiring of Washington.

When Cordero was asked back in April about the SWAC matter, he said, “That is not proven to be true … It appears from the information I have that the courts upheld a right to the SWAC to dismiss him for lack of managerial accountability and for lacking of fulfilling his duties.” Cordero said he acquired this information from documents that were given to him by Washington.

BC president William Andrews said in an August interview Washington was never hired.

Washington, in an August telephone interview, said BC administration gave no reason for him not being hired. “I wish them the best,” Washington said.

Hughes said he wants the team to be competitive in the league like BC used to be. He said the last time BC had a winning record was back when his brother was head coach. “I want to build a solid program from the ground up,” Hughes said.

His record as head coach at Allen Hancock was 12-13. BC’s first scheduled opponent is Hancock on Nov. 8. “It will be weird. I have spent so much time there, and here I am coming back, being on the opposing team,” Hughes said. Hughes was in the same graduating class at West as Brock Marion, a safety, who has played with the Miami Dolphins, and now plays for the Lions.