Harrick Still Bears a Grudge

Still furious and deciding whether to pursue a lawsuit against UCLA, ousted Bruin coach Jim Harrick on Tuesday questioned whether the Bruin basketball program could recover from the controversy created by his firing a month ago.

“Who are they going to hire? Who’s going to take the job knowing they fired four guys in 13 years?” Harrick said from his Wilshire Boulevard condominium, arguing that Athletic Director Peter T. Dalis forced two assistants off Larry Farmer’s final staff and fired Walt Hazzard and former women’s coach Billie Moore.

“Who’s going to have the guts to bring that up?”

Dalis, along with Chancellor Charles E. Young, said that Harrick was fired for committing an NCAA violation at an October recruiting dinner and then lying eight times to cover it up. Dalis could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Harrick said he had a face-to-face meeting with Young recently, but said the discussion only “might be leading to something soon.” Harrick said he “never” would want to meet with Dalis.

Though he said he watched UCLA’s season-opening loss to Tulsa on television two weeks ago, Harrick said he would not watch Tuesday night’s Northridge-UCLA game because he was attending the Laker game, and said he wasn’t sure how many Bruin games he would watch.

The one who has had it toughest, Harrick said, was his wife, Sally.

“People don’t understand,” Harrick said. “They fired the wife also. We’ve lived here all our married life.”

Though his son, Glenn, has said his father will return to coaching as soon as possible, Harrick said he wasn’t sure what the future held.

“I’ve been playing some golf,” he said. “I don’t sit at home and moan. I have a vow: I’ll never let them ruin another day of mine. Sure, they ruined a few--when they devastate your career, everything you work for. . . .”

Harrick’s attorney, Robert K. Tanenbaum, has suggested that a lawsuit could seek the $1.8 million left on Harrick’s compensation package on his contract through 2001.

But Harrick confirmed Tuesday that, because of a clause in the contract, if he sued, he probably could seek only his remaining base salary of about $130,000 a season.

“I did have a great run,” he said. “No one can ever take the national championship away from my career, eight straight NCAA tournaments, never had a guy in the paper socially doing something wrong.

“Really, had no violations. They can say there was one if they want, but not really. I’m proud of everything we did. We endowed our program. UCLA will never have to pay for a scholarship again. One of them was endowed by me.

“I’ve been in this town 37 years, never made a wrong turn, then one thing happened and . . .”