U.S. OLYMPIC FESTIVAL: ORANGE COUNTY’S DAY : LOS ANGELES 1991 : Parks Is at Ease in Pauley Pavilion This Time Around : Basketball: He knows UCLA students won’t be cheering him on when he and Duke teammates play Bruins on Feb. 29.

Cherokee Parks sprawls his legs across the seats at Pauley Pavilion and surveys an Olympic Festival women’s basketball game on the court below.

Parks is in the courtside bleacher seats, about where UCLA students usually sit.

A forward-center on the festival’s West team, he’s awaiting the start of Saturday night’s game against the South. When he returns to Pauley a few months from now, he won’t be quite so comfortable.

“It’s going to be tough playing here,” said Parks, who had 11 points, eight rebounds and three assists in a 105-81 victory over the South. “UCLA’s student section is brutal on (opposing) teams.”

And no doubt, much of the students’ aggressions will be channeled toward Parks on Feb. 29, when UCLA plays host to Duke.

Parks, a 6-foot-11 graduate of Marina High School, chose Duke last fall over scholarship offers from several other schools, including UCLA. A Parade All-American who averaged 28.3 points and 14.3 rebounds, he was one of the nation’s most highly recruited players.

He had planned a trip to Westwood, but canceled after visiting the Duke campus in October.

His decision didn’t sit well in Westwood, especially with Bruin Coach Jim Harrick, who said at the time: “I think he and his family owe us more than just a phone call.”

Six months later, Parks can’t understand why Harrick was so upset.

“Right after I made my decision, I called and talked to (Bruin assistant coach) Brad Holland,” Parks said. “I made sure all the schools who recruited me knew before I announced my decision.

“I never talked to Harrick, but I left him several messages and he never called me back.”

Many who know Parks considered him a lock for UCLA. But he committed to Duke only 24 hours after leaving the campus in Durham, N.C.

Parks said his decision boiled down to coaching philosophy.

“Harrick wanted to use me more as a strict center,” Parks said. “But I wanted to step out and play forward, too, which Duke will let me do. And I liked what (Duke Coach) Mike Krzyzewski has done with big men like Christian Laettner and Danny Ferry.

“UCLA has always been the local school for me. But I thought I would be more comfortable at Duke than at UCLA.”

UCLA is one of several tough road games on Duke’s 1991-92 schedule:

--Louisiana State. Parks isn’t looking forward to sharing time in the paint with Shaquille O’Neal.

“That guy’s so big,” Parks said, “that I’ll only come up to his stomach. I hope Christian will stay in that game.”

--Michigan. The Wolverines had one of the nation’s best recruiting years, landing Chris Webber of Detroit and Juwan Howard of Chicago, a teammate of Parks on the West team.

“And we’re in the Big East-Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, too,” Parks said. “We play St. John’s in the first round.”

Then he can look forward to the ACC season.

“I think I’ll be ready for it,” said Parks, who leaves for Duke on Aug. 29. “I heard Laettner loves to take it to everyone in practice, and that will get us ready to go.”

In the meantime, Parks is enjoying his last few summer weeks in Southern California.

He spent the first two weeks of the summer bodysurfing with friends in Hawaii. The trip was a graduation gift from his parents.

“Hawaii was a lot of fun,” he said. “We would wake up at 1 in the afternoon every day and go to the beach.”

Parks grew a goatee and worked on his tan. He takes ribbing from his sister, Corey, who says the goatee “is part of his new Harley-Davidson image.”

“My razor broke,” Cherokee said. “I had a great one growing in Hawaii, but I trimmed it when I got back.”

After returning from Hawaii, Parks began playing in a summer league at Cal State Los Angeles with UCLA’s Tracy Murray, Arizona’s Sean Rooks and Chris Mills, and Stanford’s Adam Keefe, a former Woodbridge High standout.

“Those games really woke me up,” Parks said. “It’s all college guys, and we’re playing NBA rules with the shot clock.

“It has been a big adjustment. I’m in there with these all-conference players and (college) All-Americans. Fortunately, I have Keefe and Rooks on my team to help me out.”

Keefe has given Parks a few pointers on playing college ball.

“Keefe’s so strong,” Parks said. “I’m mostly out there to rebound, play defense and watch him and Rooks.

“But Keefe has been helping me with my game. Right now, I think it’s important just to be around players like him.”