I have no idea what made me think of Chris Herren today. None at all. I followed his career as a bit of a curiosity, never as all that much of a fan. The book Fall River Dreams which chronicles his mercurial senior year in high school is supposedly an interesting read, although I have never picked it up. Apparently he is not the most sympathetic character in the book, and that didn't change in the years that followed his high school escapades. He was just one of those players that I inexplicably pulled for and wanted to see achieve professional success.
One thing that always drew me to him was his similar career arc to one of my all time favorite college players - Scott Skiles.
- Small town kid with incredible talent
- Carried the hopes of the locals on to the court
- Played with a chip on his shoulder
- Battled with off court troubles
- Injuries derailed what could have been a more steallar pro career
Where Skiles put the past behind him and has remained a part of the League, Herren never quite seemed to turn the corner. He never manifested Skiles' win at all costs persona on the court, I suppose that just wasn't him. (My favorite Skiles anecdote is that he famously told Antoine "The Judge" Joubert before his final UM / MSU game that "You can't check me, fat boy.") Perhaps the most memorable thing that Herren was a part of was the legendary Fox Sports special on the Fresno State Bulldogs during his senior season.
The last I heard of him - and the last update of any kind that I can find online - was when he crashed his car into a Dunkin' Donuts two years ago and was charged with possession. He played a couple of NBA seasons and spent some time in European leagues, but I really can not find anything following that car crash.
That is why I find the current content at chrisherren.com to be so interesting, and quite frankly a bit poignant. For a few years that site was a poorly maintained "fan site" with nothing more than a few pictures and career notes. I hadn't checked it in a long long time, and I have no idea if it is still associated with CH or if there is an artist or someone else with the same name and the site just happened to change hands.
The lone caged bird image at the top of this post is the only content on the site. A sentimental fan leaving a message on the current state of affairs? Who knows, but it is mysterious and at least as intriguing as Herren's career.
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