ZAGS on NYC: Parrom has Offers
With many of the star players in the Class of 2008 – Mookie Jones, Sylven Landesberg and Patrick Jackson – now off the board, it's time to start looking at who's coming down the pike in the Class of 2009.
One of the players to keep an eye on is Kevin Parrom, a 6-foot-6 wing out of St. Raymond's in the Bronx.
Advertisement
Parrom already holds scholarship offers from numerous Big East and Atlantic-10 schools, including St. John's, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, West Virginia and Xavier, according to St. Ray's head coach Oliver Antigua.
"Kevin Parrom's recruiting is really heating up," Antigua said. "He's getting recruited by some high-majors."
The first freshman to play for the varsity at St. Ray's since Majestic Mapp, Parrom recently had a double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds with six assists in a victory over Lance Stephenson and the Juice All-Stars in IS8 play. He followed that up with 19 and 12 against Boys & Girls in the quarters.
"He's a very versatile player," Antigua said. "He can shoot the 3. He can handle the ball. I think he can play multiple positions. HE provides matchup problems on the perimeter and he can also mix it up."
Parrom said he grew up dreaming about playing for a Duke or a North Carolina (who doesn't?), and that he hopes to one day play in the ACC or the Big East.
"I will be taking visits in the spring," he said, adding that he wants to play for an uptempo team.
Xavier could have a shot simply because former Gauchos director Emanuel "Book" Richardson is now an assistant with the program and has devoted a lot of time to players like Parrom and fellow Class of '09 member Omari Lawrence.
Parrom says he has gotten some wise counsel on the recruiting process from teammate Darryl "Truck" Bryant, who recently committed to West Virginia.
"He helped me in many ways on and off the court," Parrom said. "He'll tell me what style of play a school is playing, how a school plays and what they're like."
Parrom had played AAU ball with the Gauchos before switching this summer to the Long Island Lightning. He spent much of the summer working out and attending tournaments.
This year St. Ray's will play a series of intriguing independent games against Archbishop Carroll Dec. 8 in Washington D,C.; Paterson Catholic (N.J.) in the Hoop-Group Tip-Off Classic on Dec. 16 at Seton Hall; and Taft (Calif.) High in the Hall of Fame Classic in Springfield, Mass., over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.
There is also a high-profile game against St. Patrick of Elizabeth, N.J. in the Nike Super Six event on Jan. 13 at Madison Square Garden. St. Pat's finished the season ranked No. 2 in the nation according to USA Today and features junior guard Dexter Strickland and senior forward Quintrell Thomas.
"It should be a great game," Parrom said. "They're a great program. It's going to be a great game for us in the city."
St. Ray's lost the CHSAA city title game by three points last year to Christ the King, and Parrom and teammates Bryant and Lawrence want another shot at the crown.
"It was a tough loss," he said. "It was a learning experience for me and Omari and the whole team. Hopefully we get back there next year and win.".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Go to NYC Hoops for all the late breaking NYC basketball news and rankings plus access to FREE BASKETBALL WEBCASTS.
Sign-up for our FREE eNewsletter to get the even more news right in your email box.
Talk about NYC Hoops on our Message Board.