Friday, November 8, 1996
HARRICK:
Fired coach, once icon of basketball, decries ‘unfair’
treatmentBy Brad Zucker
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Once the ringmaster of college basketball’s most storied team,
Jim Harrick sat solemnly in his private suite on the fifth floor of
a Wilshire Boulevard hotel.
In his first exclusive interview since being forced out of the
UCLA basketball program, the former Bruin coach was slumped in a
living room chair, wearing only an old T-shirt, blue shorts and a
pair of white socks.
Two days earlier, he had been barking out orders to his Bruin
warriors. The next night, he found himself weeping with them.
"We all met here, and it was unbelievably emotional," Harrick
said Thursday, his voice shaking as he fought back the tears. "It
was probably one of the saddest times I have ever experienced."
Ironically, it was two of the players that the coach holds
closest to his heart that were at the center of events leading up
to his dismissal from the UCLA basketball program.
The eight-year Bruin coach admitted that he had misled UCLA
officials in their investigation of a possible recruiting
violation, claiming that he was protecting seniors Cameron Dollar
and Charles O’Bannon.
The two veteran players violated an NCAA regulation on Oct. 11
by attending a recruiting dinner hosted by the UCLA coaching staff.
An extra-benefits rule states that there must be at most a
one-to-one ratio of recruits to current players. However, during
this particular dinner, there were already three players present
along with the three recruits before two more Bruins joined
them.
"Cameron and Charles were sitting at the table in front of us,
and I told the guy to put them on the bill," Harrick said. "I
didn’t know it would be a problem.
"The check was large, but they checked it out and there was no
violation. The only thing wrong was that Charles and Cameron were
there. And they were given 20 hours of community service."
According to Chancellor Charles E. Young, the act of paying for
the players’ meals alone might not have led to Harrick’s firing.
However, when the coach turned in an expense reimbursement form
containing the names of two people who were not present at the
dinner (rather than those of Dollar and O’Bannon), the offense
became inexcusable.
According to Harrick, the names he wrote down in the report were
those of his own wife and the wife of assistant coach Michael
Holton.
"I thought my wife was going to be coming, so I had put her name
down earlier in the day," Harrick said. "The dinner was for
recruiting, so I was caught up in that. I just made a mistake.
"I misinformed them about my wife at first, and that was wrong
… (But) have others on our campus not made mistakes?"
However, Harrick made another bad decision when he asked another
member of the basketball program to include another inaccurate
name.
Although Harrick was given the option to resign, he did not
believe that he was treated fairly with the ultimatum issued by
Young or Athletic Director Pete Dalis. In fact, Harrick believes
that there may have been financial motives behind the offer.
"They didn’t want to pay out my contract," Harrick said. "I told
them I wanted to sit down and talk about it.
"I’m the first to agree that I should have been reprimanded. But
it was a unilateral decision with no recourse. There’s supposed to
be something called due process."
Harrick’s lawyer, Robert Tannenbaum, indicated on Wednesday that
a lawsuit might be filed against the university. On Thursday,
however, Harrick downplayed the issue.
"That’s not me. I’m not a ‘sue’ guy. I just want to sit down and
talk."
Some members of the media have speculated that there has been a
personal rift between Harrick and Dalis. During an Oct. 9 press
conference following the Pac-10 investigation into the sale of a
car to the sister of prized recruit Baron Davis, Dalis was
obviously angry with the coach for failing to inform him of the
situation. However, Harrick denies that there has ever been a major
problem between either him and Dalis or with Young.
"I have always considered them to be great friends," Harrick
said. "Life is full of choices, and you have a choice to do what
you want to do. If someone doesn’t want me to be their coach, then
I don’t want to be there. But to do this to the team at this point
…"
Indeed, beyond the legal and personal issues, Harrick believes
that Dalis and Young have done the basketball program and the
university a disservice.
"It’s a tragedy," Harrick said. "We had two young assistants,
and I had brought them here to be assistants. Steve’s never been a
head coach, he’s never called a timeout. He’s a terrific young guy,
but to be sent in during this kind of situation … It’s just
really unfair.
"And there’s another factor. During the ’90s we were in the top
five in America. We were on the verge of an unbelievable recruiting
year, and there is an enormous amount of money generated for the
school through a national championship."
However, Harrick is most devastated by the separation from his
players.
"Cameron Dollar, he has no mother and he’s been like a son to
me," Harrick said, choking on his words. "And Charles, Bob Myers
… it’s just really hard."
The coach also had a message for the students of UCLA.
"Thanks for the memories," he said. "They helped us win a lot of
games. I hope they cheer real hard for this year’s team."
For the time being, the former coach will turn to his family for
support.
"We’ve survived a lot over the years. We’ve made it through with
family and faith. And our faith is strong."
JUSTIN WARREN/Daily Bruin
A saddened Jim Harrick has fielded constant phone calls from
friends and the media in the hours after the announcement of his
termination as head coach of the men’s basketball team.
"Have others on our campus not made mistakes?"
Jim Harrick
Fired UCLA Basketball Coach