Fitch Remembers a Raw Olajuwon

Houston center Hakeem Olajuwon is expected to play in his 982nd game for the Rockets tonight against the Clippers, 22 games short of Calvin Murphy’s team record.

Clipper Coach Bill Fitch can remember when Olajuwon played in his first game for Houston. He should. Fitch was the Rocket coach.

In those days, Fitch recalled, Olajuwon was far from a dominating player, even though he had already been a star at the University of Houston.

A soccer player as a kid in his native Nigeria, Olajuwon was still learning basketball, a sport he didn’t start playing until he was 15.

“If I told him we were running a back-door play,” Fitch said, “he’d have looked for the back exit. People don’t know how hard he worked. He didn’t just come in and play the way he does. He spent lots of hours shaking and baking on the court. People talk about his God-given talent. He worked his tail off to get where he is.”

Fitch reminds himself of those early days in Olajuwon’s career as he starts down the same road with another raw big man, 7 feet 2 Clipper center Stojko Vrankovic.

“He’s giving what he can give,” Fitch said of the 23-year-old from Croatia. “But I expect him to give more later in the season which he will be able to if he works at it.”

*

Swingman Eric Piatkowski, who sat out the first two games because of flu, was making his shots in practice Tuesday and is expected to play tonight.

TONIGHT

Los Angeles vs.

Houston

* 7:30

* Fox Sports West 2

Site--Sports Arena.

Radio--KEZY-FM (95.9)

Records--Clippers 0-2, Rockets 2-1.

Record vs. Rockets (1996-97)--1-3.

Update--Eager to log an entry in the win column after losing their first two games, the Clippers must go against an opponent that has been extremely difficult for them to handle. Houston has won 18 of the last 20 games between the teams, including three of four last season. Houston has won five in a row at the Sports Arena, the last Clipper home-court victory over the Rockets recorded in February 1995. Brent Barry averaged 19 points in the first two games to lead the team.