Player of the Week: Parkes Continues to Score

Brad Parkes earns Player of the Week honors for his performance in the Royal's past three games as he continues to emerge as a scorer and presence near the basket.

"Brad is a special player to us because he had so many other options out of high school. Pretty much every school in the ODAC showed interest in him. He is one of the first guys to have that kind of recruiting interest and yet choose to come 'build' a tradition here at EMU as opposed to going to one of the schools in the ODAC already rich in basketball tradition," said head coach Kirby Dean. Parkes once again showed us why he was so highly recruited by numerous ODAC schools and in return is our Player of the Week for his performance in the Royals' past three games.

Parkes posted 14 points and eight rebounds last week against Ferrum in a 73-67 victory on the road. In a loss against Greensboro this past Saturday at the Bridgewater/Don Glick Invitational, Parkes was the Royals' leading scorer with 18 points. "Parkes' offensive ability and knack for finishing plays while being fouled around the basket proves his off-season work has paid off," stated assistant coach Mike Culen. The next day he finished with a double-double in the team's 95-83 win over Valley Forge Christian College. Again Parkes was the leading scorer with an outstanding 23 points and led the team overall in rebounding with 10. He and senior Jason Sager were named to the Bridgewater/Don Glick Invitational All-Tournament team. Of the two, Dean believes, "Having Brad and Sager as our post players gives us two of the smartest post players playing together in the entire ODAC."

"I got some good passes, and we ran the offense well. I just tried to finish some plays," recounted Parkes on his play this past week. "Since we are smaller this year, rebounding is something I've tried to concentrate on."

"As a junior, Brad brings leadership and work ethic to the team on the court and in the class room," confirmed coach Culen. "Brad represents what we want our program to be about. He is a good person, a good student, and a good player," coach Dean added. While maintaining a near 4.0 GPA with his major in business administration and minors in psychology and economics, Parkes still finds time hang out with friends, which is one of his favorite hobbies aside from basketball. Brad is the son of Scott and Cindy, and older brother to sisters, Sullivan, Presley, and Blake. Parkes appreciates their dedication to watching his games and commented, "My father is my hero because of the good work ethic he taught me and the constant support he gives in my athletic and academic careers at EMU."

"Winning the [ODAC] tournament is always a main goal for the team," said Parkes. "It is good competition. Anybody can beat anybody on any given night." So come support the team in their quest to win the ODAC title this season! The Royals face Randolph-Macon (currently ranked 16th in the nation by D3hoops.com) in their next home game Saturday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m.