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Coach's Corner: Pentucket's Leo Parent

Wednesday, February, 27 By Alan Siegel
Staff writer

It's hard to believe it's been 20 years, Leo Parent said. The Pentucket High boys basketball coach and former Central Catholic superstar led UMass Lowell to the Division 2 national championship in 1988.

"It was a real good moment in our lives," he said this week. Parent, who starred for a year at Division 1 Manhattan College before transferring to Lowell to be nearer to his ailing father, has had a lifetime's worth of experiences in basketball.

He was invited to the Golden State Warriors' free-agent camp in 1990. And although he got cut before the season started, Parent has no regrets. Before settling down in Massachusetts, he also played two seasons for the Sioux Falls (S.D.) Skyforce of the Continental Basketball Association.

Parent, who has a career record of 113-153 at Pentucket, has two sons, John and Leo Jr., with his wife Anne.

1. You played for Stan Van Gundy for a season (1988-89) at UMass Lowell. Did you ever think he'd end up as an NBA coach? "I was certainly surprised. He landed in a good situation in Miami with the Heat. Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal, that can make you pretty effective as a coach. ... I thought (Stan) was a terrific man. Very down to earth, anybody can approach him any time of day and he'll respect you. I'm glad he's back, as the coach of the Magic."

2. So what was it like trying to make it as a pro athlete on such a competitive team like the Warriors? "It was a lot of fun playing against those guys. Mitch Richmond, Chris Mullin."

3. What was it like watching Mullin up close? "He was one of the best shooters I've ever seen. He was in the middle of a three- or four-year streak. He had cleaned up his life a little bit (after battling alcohol problems). He was in great shape."

4. How about Richmond? "When we were at the rookie camp, at the first scrimmage of the first game, I covered Richmond. It was a great challenge. It was a little different being sent in to go cover the NBA Rookie of the Year."

5. Was Tim Hardaway's crossover as incredible as people say it was? "It was that quick. It was as quick as it appeared on television. He had an unbelievable ability to get by people."

6. Do you ever wonder if you could've caught on with any other team? Maybe a team that wasn't as good as the Warriors at the time? "I don't spend a whole lot of time thinking about it. It was a good opportunity in Oakland. It didn't work out, but I didn't leave with any regrets. I had a great month, I look back at it as nothing but a great experience."

7. You played two years in the CBA. What was South Dakota like? "It was a good experience. I enjoyed living in another part of the country. There's a lot of open spaces and very cold winters. The people are very nice, layed back."

8. Have you enjoyed helping build a program at Pentucket? "I've been there 13 years. We've had some rough years and some successful years. It's been a good experience for me. I've enjoyed coaching."

9. What do you think of the allegations made against Kelvin Sampson? You were a college player once. Has recruiting gone too far? "For a long time, there's been a lot of pressure at the Division 1 level to be successful, to get the best players. There's the temptation to cut corners. There's pressure every single year to succeed. There's so much money involved. A lot of coaches can't resist that temptation."

10. Do you see yourself staying at Pentucket in the future? "I hope to stay there for a few years (as long) as they'll have me. I've taken a lot from basketball, coaching is a way for me to give back to the game that's given a lot to me."