Parham to MU

[MU82]

Back when men were men and basketball players hit the mid-range jumper.

Today, we don't even know who "men" are. According to "reports," some of the "basketball players" self-identify as "cats" and insist that "litter boxes" be placed in locker rooms.

[Dr. Blackheart]

The last good big man at Marquette was Terry Rand.  True aircraft carrier who was an alpha.  Wasn't PC either

In Chicago, they named a state road and shopping center after him.

[muwarrior69]

Today, we don't even know who "men" are. According to "reports," some of the "basketball players" self-identify as "cats" and insist that "litter boxes" be placed in locker rooms.

If they identified as dogs would lifting their leg and peeing on an official after a foul call be a flagrant 1 or 2 or a technical?

[WhiteTrash]

If they identified as dogs would lifting their leg and peeing on an official after a foul call be a flagrant 1 or 2 or a technical?

Umm, not a foul at all. They would be celebrated for being themselves. Oprah would have a 2 hour special about them. The NBA and the refs would be rightfully called out as hate organization and have to write a $100M check to the ASPCA. 

[Uncle Rico]

The Aristocrats!

[Jay Bee]

Really?  I had never heard that!

Actually, Markus was 17 until April of his Freshman year

#FakeNews #Lies

[94Warrior]

#FakeNews #Lies

Give him that one.  He only missed by 1 month.  (Markus has a March 3rd bday.)

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Give him that one.  He only missed by 1 month.  (Markus has a Mach 3rd bday.)

Apparently you are unfamiliar with how Petty Prince Pedantic rolls.

[BrewCity83]

Yep, I was going from memory.  Off by a month.  My bad.

[Spotcheck Billy]

Ben Steele article on Royce Parham today:
2024 recruit Royce Parham has the skills to be an Oso Ighodaro-type player at Marquette

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Apparently you are unfamiliar with how Petty Prince Pedantic rolls.

🐷🐷

[Skip Intro]

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/high-school-basketball/2023/06/14/royce-parham-wpial-high-school-basketball-north-hills-western-reserve-academy-marquette-transfer/stories/202306140123

Guess I won't get to see him play my nephew this year.

[jfp61]

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/high-school-basketball/2023/06/14/royce-parham-wpial-high-school-basketball-north-hills-western-reserve-academy-marquette-transfer/stories/202306140123

Guess I won't get to see him play my nephew this year.

Yea... but he is playing with owens

[MuggsyB]

KABOOM!!!  Shaka has changed everything. Let's go now!!!

[StillAWarrior]

Guess I won't get to see him play my nephew this year.

Interesting. I may have to try to catch a game or two.

Hopefully he and Owens will develop some great chemistry that will help prepare them to contribute early in their freshman year.

[brewcity77]

There seems to be a concerted effort to go after guys at prep academies, or to help guys get to prep academies once they commit. Chase Ross came from Cushing Academy. Al Amadou went to Chestnut Hill Academy. Tre Norman was at Worcester Academy. Zaide Lowery committed in April 2022, then transferred to LaLumiere in June. Damarius Owens was at Western Reserve Academy, then after Royce Parham committed, he transferred there as well.

Seems like a concerted effort to target guys at higher levels of competition in high school, or to help them get there once they do commit. Definitely seems like a deliberate strategy.

[Skip Intro]

There seems to be a concerted effort to go after guys at prep academies, or to help guys get to prep academies once they commit. Chase Ross came from Cushing Academy. Al Amadou went to Chestnut Hill Academy. Tre Norman was at Worcester Academy. Zaide Lowery committed in April 2022, then transferred to LaLumiere in June. Damarius Owens was at Western Reserve Academy, then after Royce Parham committed, he transferred there as well.

Seems like a concerted effort to target guys at higher levels of competition in high school, or to help them get there once they do commit. Definitely seems like a deliberate strategy.

I think it's a probably a great approach for most of these players.  It gets them in a college-type environment, so any homesickness or other troubles adjusting can get worked out a year+ earlier than normal.  On the basketball side, they play with and against better competition, learn to travel in ways similar to what they'll see in the NCAA, and very likely have much better basketball-focused training and conditioning. 

I actually think it shows a huge commitment to their future in the sport.  It would have been really easy for Parham to stay a hero at his hometown high school and dominate the league once again.  This will be a much bigger challenge. 

Some folks will rail against him for "bailing" on his team, but those are the same type of people who think Omax leaving early is a mistake - they're focused entirely on their own happiness, which is inextricably linked to the W/L record of their favorite team. 

[wadesworld]

It will almost certainly depend on each player's different situation.  Parham was clearly too good for the level of competition and it wouldn't have helped him much just to head back and dominate for one last year.

But I went to a Link Academy vs. Southern California Academy game when they played in Columbia and pretty much every kid looked like they were having a miserable time.  If a kid is happy where he is and he's developing nicely, there's not much need to go off to a basketball factory.

[lawdog77]

But I went to a Link Academy vs. Southern California Academy game when they played in Columbia and pretty much every kid looked like they were having a miserable time.  If a kid is happy where he is and he's developing nicely, there's not much need to go off to a basketball factory.

Were they not giving slaps of five?

[JWags85]

It will almost certainly depend on each player's different situation.  Parham was clearly too good for the level of competition and it wouldn't have helped him much just to head back and dominate for one last year.

But I went to a Link Academy vs. Southern California Academy game when they played in Columbia and pretty much every kid looked like they were having a miserable time.  If a kid is happy where he is and he's developing nicely, there's not much need to go off to a basketball factory.

I think the difference is none of the Marquette kids are going to basketball factories.  All the prep schools listed above have been around for 150-200 years.

[wadesworld]

Were they not giving slaps of five?

I think they were.  They just did not seem to have any fun at all and nobody was talking to each other on the bench or in the huddles.

Doing it as a senior is one thing (just a difference of moving away at 17 or for college at 18), but there was a kid who was All State as a freshman at a high school in Columbia that transferred to Link for his sophomore year and was hardly playing and just stared off into space and nibbled on his fingernails in huddles and stuff.  Felt like they were a bunch of kids from all over the country who probably didn't have much in common other than basketball who felt a lot of pressure to win basketball games and do nothing else your "normal" high school kids would be doing.

[The Sultan]

I get what you are saying wades, but yeah these guys usually are transferring after they have committed to Marquette.  Or (like Owens) when they live fairly close. I think at that point, going all in on basketball makes some sense.

[Herman Cain]

I prefer seeing kids have a good experience at their local high school. There is more to life than basketball.

That said, it will be fun for our two recruits to be on the same team in prep school.

[StillAWarrior]

I will definitely keep an eye on Western Reserve's schedule and try to catch at least one game. If I do, I'll try to report back but be forewarned: I don't know ball.

WRA isn't part of OHSAA and I'm not very familiar with most of the schools that they play. Based on some quick research today, it didn't seem like WRA's level of competition last year was particularly high. I think the only "normal" school they played last year was Cleveland St. Ignatius and WRA beat them by 10. Aside from that, I'd only heard of a couple of the others (Spire and Blair Academy). None of the teams that they played show up in any of the national rankings. Hopefully they'll play a good slate this season.

[Jay Bee]

Has anyone read the letter Parham gave his now-former HS coach?

WR- sounds like strong academics and looks like fun. Great that he and DO can build & grow together