Finally, he's front and center

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Finally, he's front and center
Parish out of shadows entering Hall of Fame
By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 9/5/2003

Robert Parish acknowledges he has spent much of the last six years in
"hiding", surfacing briefly for a coaching stint in the USBL and an annual big
man camp in Sarasota, Fla. He has not played since retiring in 1997, not even
a pickup game. He has traveled to Cancun, Mexico, Hawaii, Miami's South Beach,
Jamaica, and the Bahamas. He has become "very good at doing nothing." But
there is only so much of nothing one man can do. Beginning with his induction
into the Hall of Fame tonight, Parish plans to reintroduce himself to the NBA
community. It should not take long for the 7-foot-1-inch former center to
increase his visibility. Parish wants a job in the NBA, any job, anywhere. He
hopes a resume that includes nine All-Star selections and four NBA titles
(three with Boston and one with Chicago) will lead to a front office,
coaching, or commentator position.

      ADVERTISEMENT

"I would like to get back into sports business in some capacity," said Parish.
"To be honest, I haven't really knocked on any doors. I'm looking at that next
year. I'll start campaigning before I get bored and start bouncing off the
walls. It's been six years now, so I know boredom is headed my way. Besides,
I'm too young [at 50] to be permanently retired.

"I think it's important to let all the teams know that I'm interested in
coaching or some job in basketball. I'm sure there's a lot of people out there
who don't know that, since I haven't been making contact. Besides, you never
know until you ask. I'm going to start asking next year, `Can I get some
love?' "

Parish does not have designs on a type of job, though he enjoyed coaching the
Maryland Mustangs of the USBL in 2001. He was coach of the year and won the
division title. One year in the USBL let him know coaching was something he
could do at the NBA level. He lives in Charlotte, N.C., but does not care
whether an offer comes from the expansion Charlotte Bobcats or the Boston
Celtics, where he spent 14 seasons and earned his reputation as one of the
NBA's 50 greatest players.

"I'm not really choosy about where the job comes from," said Parish.

When Parish steps to the microphone tonight in Springfield, there will be no
campaigning, just a lot of thank yous. To his mentor, Clifford Ray, who taught
him about the rigors of NBA life. To his high school coach, Coleman Kidd, who
took a tall, awkward teenager and turned him into a basketball player. To his
parents, who offered constant encouragement. Parish has chosen former Celtics
teammate Bill Walton to introduce him and former Celtics coach K.C. Jones will
escort him. "I told him he was going to be a Hall of Fame player," said Ray,
who played with Parish at Golden State and now helps run the big man camp. "He
thought I was crazy. I could see if he concentrated and worked on it, he was
definitely going to be successful. Sometimes when you're young, you don't
always see yourself the way others see you. I realized he had the whole
package."

His brief speech will also include some reflection on an NBA career that
spanned 21 years. Drafted by Golden State in 1976, Parish was traded to Boston
in 1980. He won championships with the Celtics in 1981, '84, and '86. For
Parish, those were the most memorable moments before he finished his career
with two seasons in Charlotte and a year in Chicago. He also prides himself on
being durable and dependable. Parish's 21 seasons and 1,611 games are NBA
records. His 10,117 career defensive rebounds in the regular season and 571
offensive rebounds in the playoffs are also NBA records. Parish made 16
postseason appearances, second only to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Parish left the NBA with two regrets. One, showing up for the 1980-81 season
out of shape. Two, not taking enough time to enjoy his career while he was
playing. Parish really did not take stock of his career until he retired.

"I wish I had taken more time to enjoy it," said Parish. "It was a great time.
We were having a lot of fun, especially because we were successful. But I
really didn't take the time out to savor the moment. That's the one thing I
wish I had done. I didn't do any of that. I was always thinking about next
year, the next game, trying to get better, trying to stay healthy. I never
really enjoyed it, until after everything was over. Then I realized how
successful [we were] and how much fun it really was."

Leading a camp each August gives Parish an opportunity to "live vicariously"
through some of today's young players. It also allows him to pass along
advice. Kwame Brown, Jahidi White, Etan Thomas, Brendan Haywood, Erick
Dampier, and Al Harrington attended this year's camp.

"I have definitely been very fortunate career-wise, so I try to pass some of
that knowledge onto them," said Parish. "Take some time off and enjoy it while
you're doing it because once it's over, it's over. You cannot go back. I tell
all the young guys that. Enjoy it while you are in it because it will be over
with real fast, 11, 12 years is not a long time, if you are lucky to play that
long.

"I tell them about being a professional. It's not just for eight months. It's
12 months out of the year. You are not a professional for the season. You have
to be an athlete for 12 months. It's a year-round job. You can't take any time
off."

When Parish watches the NBA today, he admires squads that emphasize teamwork.
Sacramento, San Antonio, and New Jersey come to mind. He takes in Celtics
games primarily during the playoffs and believes they are still a few players
away from another championship. But when Parish steps to the podium to be
honored with a Hall of Fame class that also includes James Worthy, Meadowlark
Lemon, Earl Lloyd, Leon Barmore, Dino Meneghin, and the late Chick Hearn, it
will be a time to remember the Celtics' championship teams of the past.

"When I got the call for confirmation, I just sat there like, `I can't believe
it,' " said Parish. "I never thought of myself and my career in terms of the
Hall of Fame. I wanted to be on a championship team. I wanted to be an
All-Star. Those were my individual goals. I never even contemplated the Hall
of Fame. So, to actually be inducted into the Hall of Fame, I think that is
the ultimate compliment anybody could pay to my career or anybody else's
career. That's the crown jewel."

Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx

[demime 1.01b removed an attachment of type image/gif which had a name of Sunday_River-Attitash_336x280_banner.gif]