BOYS’ BASKETBALL : Sonora’s Fister Gets to Heart of Problem With Family Talk : Basketball: Pressure to succeed became too great until his biggest fan agreed to take more of a team approach.

Call it the Parent Trap.

An eager father, who loves his son and wants him to become a top athlete, constantly pushes him to achieve. Father yells at other players to pass the ball to his kid. He yells at his son to shoot whenever he gets it. Son tries to live up to the ever-escalating standard, to such an extent that his overall game suffers.

Sonora’s Chad Fister--and his father, Jerry--found that trap closing in on them this season.

The Raiders are the class of the Freeway League and ranked third in the county going into tonight’s game against host Tustin, the county’s No. 2 team. Even though Sonora is expected to contend for the Southern Section Division III title, Fister, a 6-4 guard-forward, was not enjoying himself.

And he often played like it, at least on offense. Enough that his points average was 13.9, falling from 16.6 points averaged during the 1993-94 season. Enough that friends and Coach Mike Murphy kept asking how could they help.

Instead, Chad took matters into his own hands. He sat his father down for a talk and asked him to ease up.

“My dad had set a lot of high goals for me this year,” Chad said. “And he was disappointed (early on) that I wasn’t taking as many shots. He’s my biggest fan, and he doesn’t think I’ve always gotten all the attention he felt I deserved. And that’s fine.

“We had a big talk after the Sunny Hills game. I had to tell him, ‘Dad, it’s not a one-man team. There are five guys and everyone has to score, everyone has to play together. If I’m off one night, then I’m not going to shoot every time.’ I think he understands that more now.”

Jerry Fister, an accountant who is treasurer of the Sonora Boosters, agreed.

“I’ve enjoyed watching him, seeing the things he could do that I couldn’t do,” said Fister, who was a reserve at Western for two seasons. “He has more talent, is taller. I try to say I avoid pride because religiously we believe that kids come into life with certain abilities and talents. We just try to direct them into the right path. And that’s what I was trying to do.”

The talk has had results. Over the last three weeks, Chad Fister has raised his average to 15.2 points, second on the team to center Craig Clark (16.5 points). Fister’s rebound average has improved from 3 to 6.4.

Fister also defends the opponent’s best player. His perimeter defense can be crucial for Sonora, especially if the 7-foot Clark is not being challenged inside.

“Chad has been a real key to our success this year,” Murphy said. “I thought his best game this year was (against) Tustin; he scored only four points but covered David Lalazarian, who was their big guy and one Craig would not have been able to guard. I thought he also did great job against Jeff Sand of Troy. He’s doing a lot of things besides shooting.

“That, sometimes, his dad doesn’t see because his dad realizes you get attention by scoring points. And he wants Chad to score points. Chad was in a slump for four-five games. Last year, that could have destroyed him. This year, if he doesn’t shoot well he plays better defense and gets more rebounds. He’s making himself a better player, and more appealing, I think, to go on to the next level.”

Murphy said before the season started that Fister was Sonora’s best player. But Fister knew his role would change this season as Clark has improved.

“He’s so dominating in the post that he’s got to get the ball,” Fister said. “He’s got to take the shots. That’s how we’re going to win.”

But such self-sacrifice doesn’t always translate into a scholarship offer. They go to scorers or the very tall.

Clark already has signed one, to San Jose State. Fister would prefer to attend Brigham Young, where he would be allowed to embark on a religious mission then return to school. So far, UC San Diego, a Division III school, has scouted him regularly.

Fister certainly has the classroom skills, with a 4.4 grade-point average. The basketball skills are another question. So is the cost. His parents, who have seven children, helped their oldest daughter, Jodie, attend BYU for a year. The tab was more than $9,000.

“I’ve told him if he can get one (a scholarship), he should try to get it, because a good education is invaluable to his future,” Jerry Fister said. “We are going to apply to BYU and hope Chad gets accepted for reasons other than sports.

“If someone (else) offered him a scholarship, I don’t know how it would be if he told them he wanted to leave a year later and go on a mission.”

But at least Fister already has completed one mission.

Putting the fun back into his game.