Harrick Says Talk of ABA Job Premature

ATLANTA — Former UCLA and Georgia basketball coach Jim Harrick says reports that he has been hired to coach the Vancouver expansion team in the American Basketball Assn. are premature.

The hiring was announced Tuesday by the ABA.

Contacted Wednesday, Harrick said “We have signed nothing, agreed on nothing.”

However, Harrick said he expected to continue negotiations next month.

“We’ll see how it goes, but it isn’t finalized,” Harrick said. “I don’t know how that got out.”

Asked whether his son, Jim Harrick Jr., would join him if he accepted the job in Vancouver, Harrick said, “It is all negotiable.”

The ABA had no comment Wednesday.

Harrick Jr. was fired and Harrick was forced to resign in 2003 after allegations of rules violations at Georgia.

Harrick insisted Wednesday that he had received a bad rap in the NCAA probe at Georgia.

“I get sick of getting ripped all the time,” he said.

Harrick Jr., was named in three of four violations. Georgia is waiting to find out if its self-imposed sanctions, which included pulling the team out of the 2003 Southeastern Conference and NCAA tournaments, will be accepted by the NCAA.

Harrick was fired from UCLA in 1996 -- a year after winning the NCAA championship -- for lying about an expense report. He also was accused of changing players’ grades and arranging for players to receive lodging, cars and money from boosters when he coached at Rhode Island.