Mike Parks Jr. was the University of Memphis’ Tiger’s player of the game Thursday afternoon, scoring 14 points and making a career-high 13 rebounds.
Mike Parks Jr. was the University of Memphis’ Tiger’s player of the game Thursday afternoon. Not Jeremiah Martin or Kyvon Davenport, although both players put up solid numbers in an overall team effort in an 83-68 win against Tulane in the first round of the American Athletic Conference tournament.
Parks Jr. definitely had his best game of the season with 14 points, 13 rebounds (a career-high) and two blocks, and it was confirmed by UofM men’s basketball team head coach Penny Hardaway himself.
“Mike came out and played phenomenal,†Hardaway said. “His best game of the year.â€
The Tigers were locked in from the get-go, and Parks Jr., who started his eleventh straight game of the year, had a huge part of Memphis’ first half performance. Parks had 10 of his 14 points in the first half with a perfect 5-5 shooting. Also, all of his points came from within the paint, and he shot 50 percent of the Tiger’s points in the paint in the first half as well. Parks Jr. contributed his stellar performance to being everywhere around the court.
“I was just being real active moving around, and the ball was finding me,†Parks Jr. said.
Martin said following Hardaway’s game plan allowed players, such as Parks Jr., to grind out positive results during the game.
“(Hardaway) told me to be looking out for the team to try different stuff, and Mike was in the right place at the right time,†Martin said. “(Parks Jr.) trusted what Coach said and trusted the game plan.â€
The senior from Cleveland hasn’t scored this many points since Memphis played in the AdvoCare Invitational tournament against Canisius when he scored 14 points as well. Parks Jr.’s performance in the AAC tournament also marked his first double-double on the year and his third double-double in his career.
While the second half was a different story for him as he only scored four points from the charity stripe and a dunk, he remained active around the boards collecting his final six rebounds of the game. Park Jr.’s minutes were limited more in the second half because Hardaway wanted Isaiah Maurice to get more active in the game to prepare him for the next game where they will need all the players to contribute more against UCF. Maurice ended with seven points on 3-6 shooting and four rebounds.
For Parks Jr. to be consistent in tomorrow’s matchup against the Knights, he will rely on his defensive rebounding. The Tigers can depend on other players to get the ball in the hoop and should have Parks Jr. guarding the paint well to transition into more offensive opportunities for the team. Parks Jr. had more action on the offensive glass with seven offensive boards compared to four defensively. UCF’s Tacko Fall is an obvious threat on the glass standing in a 7-foot-6, so Parks Jr. and the other Memphis bigs will be tested.
Parks Jr.’s said his motive is just playing these tournament games as if they were his last, and he wants to contribute to making the Tigers’ season last longer.
“These games can possibly be my last, so I’m playing all out and leaving it on the floor,†Parks Jr. said. “I don’t want it to be over, so I’m giving it my all.â€
The Memphis Tigers now advance to a 1 p.m. matchup against UCF in the quarterfinals of the AAC tournament. The game will air on ESPN2.
