Bayno: 'It was bittersweet leaving'

Blazer assistant hired by Loyola Marymount

By Kerry Eggers

LocalNewsDaily.com, Apr 4, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (2 Reader comments)

Bill Bayno has the sleeves rolled up, ready to go to work as Loyola Marymount’s new basketball coach.

A Trail Blazer assistant coach the past two seasons, Bayno, 45, will be announced at a press conference Wednesday in Los Angeles to replace Rodney Tention, who went 30-61 during his three seasons at the West Coast Conference school.

Bayno is already on the job.

“I came back (to Portland) last night to take care of some things, and I’m heading back down tomorrow,” Bayno said Friday. “I have immediate work to do.”

Coach Nate McMillan has relieved Bayno of his responsibilities with the Blazers the rest of the season.

“Nate was great about it,” Bayno said. “He knew this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, and that I needed to get down (to LA) as soon as possible.”

Loyola Marymount has been near the bottom of the standings of the league Gonzaga has long dominated for some time. The Lions haven’t won a WCC championship since 1989-90 and have had two winning seasons in the past 15 years.

But Bayno – who signed a five-year contract worth more than $2 million – is optimistic about turning the program around.

“It’s a sleeping giant,” he says. “It’s a beautiful campus, and I was blown away by the people – the president, the vice president, the athletic director. They want to win. They’re willing to make the commitment.

“There’s nowhere to go but up, and it’s not a pressure-cooker job. They talk about having a balance between winning and the Jesuit philosophy of life, which is important to me. Recruiting is my strength. I know I can get really good players there.”

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