Parker Goes to Prime Time With His Role in Dallas

With nine games remaining last season, USC officials made one of the strangest moves I’ve seen in college basketball. They fired Coach Charlie Parker with hardly any explanation.

The best I can figure almost a year later is that they didn’t believe the team was improving at a satisfactory rate, but, even if that’s true, I still don’t know why they didn’t wait until the end of the season.

You know who else remains in the dark? Charlie Parker.

“I still don’t know why I was released,” he said this week. “I probably never will know.”

Parker, however, no longer searches for reasons. He has practiced what he preached to his players about dealing with disappointment--treat it not as an opportunity lost but as an opportunity gained and move on.

“For me, it’s been a blessing,” he said. “I’ve often said that one of my dreams was to go to the NBA. It’s unfortunate how it had to happen, but I’m fulfilling some dreams.”

As a Dallas assistant, Parker’s primary responsibility is to scout other NBA teams. But with a chance to come home to see his family, he was on the Maverick bench for their game Monday against the Lakers at the Forum.

He said he watches the Trojans on television when he can and thinks they’re playing well enough to win tonight’s game at the Sports Arena against UCLA. They would have played well under him too, he said.

“I really expected this to be a great year for us,” he said. “With our returning players and the addition of Rodrick Rhodes, I thought we would have a legitimate shot to win the conference championship.”

Parker said he hasn’t spoken since he left to USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett or to his successor and former assistant, Henry Bibby. But he said some players he recruited to USC occasionally call him.

“I think I’m still kind of missed there,” he said, “although probably not by the administration.”

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A caller to UCLA Coach Steve Lavin on Tuesday night on XTRA radio said Bruin center Jelani McCoy is transferring after the season to the University of San Diego. The caller? San Diego Coach Brad Holland. Lavin laughed, I think. . . .

In the fall quarter at UCLA, 184 athletes made the honor roll with 3.0 or better grade-point averages. Nine had 4.0s. . . .

“A Curse on Chavez Ravine,” a funny and poignant play about the resistance of local residents when Walter O’Malley leveled the neighborhood to erect Dodger Stadium, previews tonight at Glaxa Studios in Silver Lake. . . .

Could UC Irvine ever use Kevin Magee now. The best basketball player the Anteaters ever produced will be inducted into the university’s athletic hall of fame Saturday. . . .

Pursuing an acting career, gymnast Dominique Dawes has a part in the latest music video by The Artist Formerly Known As Prince. She will compete Saturday night at the Anaheim Convention Center in the Reese’s International Cup. . . .

Voted on by NFL players, the winner of the Bart Starr Award for the player who best exemplifies leadership on and off the field will be announced Saturday in New Orleans. Finalists are Philadelphia’s Irving Fryar, Washington’s Darrell Green, Indianapolis’ Jim Harbaugh and San Francisco’s Brent Jones. . . .

The story about Bill Parcells’ move to the New York Jets was broken in the Boston Globe by Will McDonough. Parcells and McDonough have the same agent. Hmmm. . . .

Sportswriters have agents? Show me the money!

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While wondering which team Kareem likes in the Bud Bowl, I was thinking: Willie McGinest will have a big game for New England, Drew Bledsoe won’t, USC wins a close one at home against UCLA, it’s not nice to fool with Michael Jordan.