LOS ANGELES – Rex Hughes, who was a men’s basketball assistant coach at USC in the mid-1970s and then a head coach collegiately and in the NBA, died on Monday (May 9) in Nipomo, Calif., of cancer. He was 77.
Hughes was an assistant at USC for 2 years (1973-74) under Bob Boyd as the Trojans went 42-15 overall and advanced to post-season play both seasons.
He then became the head coach at Kent State for 4 seasons (1975-78), followed by a 2-year (1979-80) stint as an assistant coach at UNLV. He also was the coach and general manager of the Western Basketball Association’s Montana minor league franchise in 1979.