His Players Crowd Summer Spotlight : Basketball: Clark, an agent who coaches O.C. team in summer league, helps athletes continue their careers.

By MICHAEL ITAGAKI

July 12, 1994 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

IRVINE — Basketball fans will flock to UC Irvine’s Bren Center this month for a chance to see their favorite stars up close.

Magic Johnson is scheduled to appear in the ASICS Summer Pro basketball league, which continues through July 30. Current Lakers Anthony Peeler and Doug Christie, and Duke center Cherokee Parks, who leads Team USA, also will play here this summer.

But when Coach Jerry Clark’s Orange County squad played the Circuit City team in the league opener Saturday afternoon, it was no surprise that only several dozen fans were scattered among the 5,000 seats.

Team USA, the United States’ representative for the Goodwill Games, and the Lakers were scheduled to tip-off later in the evening. Orange County-Circuit City was just the undercard.

Clark’s team is a band of Continental Basketball Assn. refugees, European league hopefuls, and NBA camp rejects. Most people have never heard of Larry Lewis, Russell Ponds or Kirk Wagner.

But these players are the lifeblood of the summer league. They are players looking for exposure, looking for playing time . . . looking for a job.

As an agent, Clark, a Newport Beach resident, helps some of those players find basketball jobs. With his wife, Linda, who works in property management, Clark also offers financial advice and money management to his clients. He doesn’t like to think of himself as just a coach or agent, but rather as a friend to his players.

Although Clark is anonymous to the average basketball fan, in the basketball community it seems everyone knows Clark.

And this month, Clark is trying to blend his Orange County team into a championship unit. Clark led Orange County to the league title last season, and it started the ’94 summer off with a resounding 108-88 victory.

“I don’t think the outcome was ever in doubt,” Clark said. “For one month out of the year, we all get together in Southern California. The players have to realize that most of their work is done the rest of the year, establishing their reputations as players.

“We just have to keep the communication lines open.”

Clark’s ears are always open. It’s only one game into the summer league season, and there are already numerous players approaching Clark.

While NBA West went through warm-ups, former Nevada Las Vegas forward Eldridge Hudson shared a chuckle with Clark. Former Cal State Fullerton point guard and 1984 Olympian Leon Wood also stopped for a brief visit.

“I see Leon every year,” Clark said. “And every year, it seems he comes here as a free agent and every year he finds work somewhere.”

A task more difficult than it appears.

Although the summer pro league is a perfect venue for those looking for exposure, the scouts look at more than summer performance.

“Some players feel it’s the agent who has to find a team for them to play on,” Clark said. “But it’s the teams that will seek out players that fit their needs.”

That suitability is often more important than a player’s talents.

Clark remembers how Milt Brown helped his team last season.

“Here was a guy, 6 feet 4, out of Oklahoma State, that not many people knew about,” Clark said. “But he dominated in this league. I played him defensively against guys like (Sacramento King center) Olden Polynice and he did great.”

Clark said Brown shot 70% from the field, averaged 27 points and 11 rebounds, helping persuade Rapid City of the CBA to draft Brown.

“Milt ended up leaving the CBA to go back to school,” Clark said. “He was someone who could go and play all five positions on the floor, but he wasn’t exceptional at any particular one.

“Those are the kinds of players you see in the summer. He’s a great player and people tried to pigeon-hole him in one spot. I just recognized his talent, and I know if I had a team, I would find a place for him to play.”

That dream is closer to reality now. Although Clark always enjoyed being around basketball, he never thought he would make his living as a coach. But he is currently a candidate for a head coaching job in the CBA.

“There are a few coaches, like John Lucas, who have coached in the summer league and moved on to the NBA,” Clark said. “I’d like to eventually move into a general manager-vice president type position, but if this coaching job is somewhere that is a step in that direction, then I’ll consider it.”

Another consideration is his family. He has been married for 30 years and doesn’t want to spend too much time away from his youngest children, 3-year-old Robert and 8-year-old Jaime. But Clark will continue to chase his basketball dream.

“I’m a kid at heart,” Clark said. “That’s why I stay with this game.”