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Ohio State men’s basketball player preview: Austin Parks
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Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Clare Grant/The Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Parks was stuck behind Felix Okpara and Zed Key last season, but both are gone now and he could see center minutes this season.
Even though it is October and fans are locked into college football, the fall also means that college basketball is right around the corner.
From now until the start of the hoops season in early November, we will be doing player previews and team previews for all the players on the men’s basketball team and the new-look Big Ten Conference.
Name: Austin Park
Position: Center
Class: Sophomore
High School: St. Mary’s Memorial
Hometown: St. Mary’s, Ohio
Weight: 260
Height: 6-foot-10
Parks came to a team with Felix Okpara and Zed Key taking up the center minutes, so he did not see the floor that often. He played a total of 20 minutes over nine games and scored three points, had five rebounds, a steal, and an assist while going 1-for-2 from the free-throw line.
Parks was an ESPN four-star prospect and a top-10-ranked center nationally. He was known in high school for his strength and physicality in the post. According to Ohio State Athletics, Parks set 13 school records at St. Mary’s, including career points with 1,528, career rebounds with 645, points in a game with 45, and career wins with 71.
He averaged 22.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.8 blocks while earning first-team All-State honors as a senior. He was a two-time All-Ohio honor selection, and he was the All-Northwest Ohio DII player of the year. He became only the second player in St. Mary’s history to play in the Ohio/Kentucky All-Star Game and led St. Mary’s to 18 wins each of his last two seasons. He also reached the regional final during his junior year.
He played his AAU basketball with the Ohio Buckets.
With the departure of Felix Okpara to Tennessee and Zed Key to Dayton, the center minutes are wide open, and three new guys are vying for the rotation. Aaron Bradshaw will be the starting center, but he can’t play 40 minutes a game and he struggled with foul trouble in his minutes at Kentucky as a freshman.
Ivan Njegovan, who comes to the program from Croatia, will compete with Parks for the backup center position. The main thing to monitor will be how quickly Njegovan adapts to college basketball. He is talented, but a new guy on campus and on the team. If Njegovan takes some time to adjust, Parks will be the backup center.
I think he will play 5-10 minutes a game unless he plays very well. That number can rise as the season progresses.
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Clare Grant/The Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Parks was stuck behind Felix Okpara and Zed Key last season, but both are gone now and he could see center minutes this season.
Even though it is October and fans are locked into college football, the fall also means that college basketball is right around the corner.
From now until the start of the hoops season in early November, we will be doing player previews and team previews for all the players on the men’s basketball team and the new-look Big Ten Conference.
The Austin Park File
Name: Austin Park
Position: Center
Class: Sophomore
High School: St. Mary’s Memorial
Hometown: St. Mary’s, Ohio
Weight: 260
Height: 6-foot-10
Breakdown
Parks came to a team with Felix Okpara and Zed Key taking up the center minutes, so he did not see the floor that often. He played a total of 20 minutes over nine games and scored three points, had five rebounds, a steal, and an assist while going 1-for-2 from the free-throw line.
Parks was an ESPN four-star prospect and a top-10-ranked center nationally. He was known in high school for his strength and physicality in the post. According to Ohio State Athletics, Parks set 13 school records at St. Mary’s, including career points with 1,528, career rebounds with 645, points in a game with 45, and career wins with 71.
He averaged 22.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.8 blocks while earning first-team All-State honors as a senior. He was a two-time All-Ohio honor selection, and he was the All-Northwest Ohio DII player of the year. He became only the second player in St. Mary’s history to play in the Ohio/Kentucky All-Star Game and led St. Mary’s to 18 wins each of his last two seasons. He also reached the regional final during his junior year.
He played his AAU basketball with the Ohio Buckets.
Expected Role
With the departure of Felix Okpara to Tennessee and Zed Key to Dayton, the center minutes are wide open, and three new guys are vying for the rotation. Aaron Bradshaw will be the starting center, but he can’t play 40 minutes a game and he struggled with foul trouble in his minutes at Kentucky as a freshman.
Ivan Njegovan, who comes to the program from Croatia, will compete with Parks for the backup center position. The main thing to monitor will be how quickly Njegovan adapts to college basketball. He is talented, but a new guy on campus and on the team. If Njegovan takes some time to adjust, Parks will be the backup center.
I think he will play 5-10 minutes a game unless he plays very well. That number can rise as the season progresses.
Continue reading...