Steve Bulpett On Chris Herren

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

      Boston Herald
      Herren getting back on the ball 
      by Steve Bulpett 
      Thursday, June 10, 1999
      CHICAGO - Chris Herren was sitting in the lobby of a downtown hotel here 
      yesterday, waiting for a bus that would take him to another NBA predraft 
      camp workout. Rewind the tape a year and a half, and he is sitting in an 
      alcohol and substance rehab facility in Utah. 
      ``I've dealt with a lot,'' Herren said. ``For a 23-year-old kid, I've 
      dealt with a lot of stuff in my life.''
      The prized point guard from Fall River has traveled a most circuitous 
      route to the precipice of an NBA career. These days, people from the 
      Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers are telling him how much he's wanted. But 
      it wasn't that long ago that Herren was partying his way out of Boston 
      College and into Fresno State and rehab. The treacherous road here has 
      made him appreciative - of his wife, Heather, their son, Christopher Gray, 
      and of the others in his support group, including Pacer Chris Mullin, who 
      battled his own alcohol demons.
      ``There were a lot of times when I wasn't sure I'd ever make it to this 
      point, so I'm just very grateful,'' Herren said.
      Grateful to still have a career. Grateful to be sober. Grateful that he is 
      no longer giving in to the darker side.
      ``I just never considered myself an NBA player,'' Herren said, explaining 
      his descent. ``I never thought like that. I never acted like that. I never 
      did. I was just more of a regular guy who wanted to be a regular person. 
      Maybe that was my problem. I just wanted to fit in and do the regular type 
      things - and I made a lot of mistakes because of that.
      ``I always worked hard at basketball, but there were always other things 
      that pulled me back. That was my fault because I let that happen. But once 
      I got away from that, there was just basketball. Ever since then, it's 
      been good. I started to realize I had a legitimate shot at the NBA, but I 
      knew I had to change my lifestyle. To compete at this level, you can't 
      burn the candle at both ends. I know I couldn't.''
      The attempt to do so got him burned at Boston College. Herren was fine on 
      the court, but he was unable to handle himself away from it.
      ``Just partying, unfocused, not doing school - all of it,'' he said. ``You 
      know what I mean? All of it.''
      Herren paused.
      ``It seems 15 or 20 years ago,'' he said. ``It's sad, you know? As I get 
      older, a BC degree seems much more appealing than when I was 18 years old. 
      But it was growing pains. That stuff's happened. I wish I didn't do it. 
      I'd give anything in the world to have that time back. I made mistakes, 
      but all I can do now is try to be different and not make other mistakes.''
      It was in the middle of his junior season at Fresno that the 
      self-destructive behavior finally hit critical mass. But there was no 
      specific moment that got him to accept help.
      ``There were tons of them,'' Herren said. ``There were so many moments 
      when I wanted to change but I just wouldn't. I just said to myself one 
      day, `This is enough.' There were people in the system at Fresno State 
      that talked to me about (going into rehab), and I was dead set against it 
      at first. But it was the best thing I ever did.''
      He has settled down now to family life in Fall River. His energy is now 
      spent in positive places. He even plans to have his tattoos (a shamrock, 
      his family shield and his hometown) removed.
      It is not easy for him to talk about what has preceded, but Herren will 
      take a harder shell into the NBA than other rookies.
      ``You look back and obviously you'd want to change some stuff, but it's 
      helped me in a lot of ways,'' Herren said. ``I'm not scared about anything 
      anymore. You face situations, and if you do it the right way, everything 
      will work out.''
      The situations will arise every day, but so far Herren has strung together 
      enough victories to reclaim his game and his peace of mind.