His happy place…Troy Christian’s Parker Penrod attacks the rim for two of his game-high 23 points in Friday’s 65-36 win over Springfield Catholic Central at the Division IV Piqua sectional. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Sonny Fulks)
Behind Parker Penrod’s 23 points, and the Eagles’ harassing defense, Troy Christian took the first step in its tournament journey Friday night with a blowout win over Springfield Catholic Central.
Piqua, OH – Parker Penrod admits that basketball is his ‘happy place’.
“I wouldn’t want my teachers to know this,” he said following Friday night’s 65-36 win over Springfield Catholic Central in the Piqua Division IV sectional tournament at Garbry Gym.
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“But there’s a lot of times that I sit in class and just think about basketball, thinking about plays in my head. Yeah, I think you could say that basketball is my happy place.”
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We all need one, of course, and thankfully Penrod’s is one for which there’s pretty much universal appreciation – just good, clean, wholesome fun.
And entertainment for the growing legion of Troy Christian fans over the past four seasons that have followed and witnessed his matriculation as one of the Ohio’s best, most dynamic point guards in Division IV basketball. Little wonder, then, that even without teammate Alex Free Friday night (traveling for a soccer event), the Eagles (21-2) literally blew past Springfield Catholic (4-18) for their 21st win of the season. Someone recently said following TC’s win over Division III Ottawa-Glandorf, “That having that kid (Penrod) on the floor is like playing with six.”
But for a brief moment Friday, SCC had its highlight, a 7-5 lead three minutes into the first quarter. Then, Penrod happened…and a 12-0 run that shot the Eagles out to a 17-7 lead, demolished the Irish’s confidence and coordination, and from that point on Penrod and company built what would become a 39-point lead in the late stages of the second half, and a running clock.
Troy Christian’s Christian Brusman blows past a SCC defender to score in transition during Friday’s 65-36 Eagles win.
He ignited that first quarter run with 8 points, added 10 more in the second quarter…then 5 more in the third before sitting most of the fourth quarter when the Irish were able to whittle the 39-point deficit down to the final 29-point difference.
Penrod led all scorers with 23 points (just over his average), while teammates Frank Rupnik and Christian Brusman added 14 each, and owing to their balance, five more Eagles combined for the remaining 14 points.
But for however far Ray Zawadzki’s Eagles progress in the tournament (the #2 seed in the Piqua sectional), senior Parker Penrod is the straw that stirs the drink and does it so effortlessly, so seamlessly, that except for the sheer athleticism of it all sometimes you barely notice.
A dangerous threat to shoot the three-point shot, he was just 3 of 9 from the floor Friday night, but added 6 assists to atone for his six misses behind the arc.
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He’s fearless to drive the lane, and at a legitimate 5’9″ when he gets to the rim he often has to manufacture a shot around much taller, bigger, defensemen trying to stop him.
His court vision is so keen that teammate Frank Rupnik says he has a sixth sense about where open teammates are and when to get them the ball.
Frank Rupnik scores two of his 14 points off an assist from Parker Penrod during Friday’s action with Springfield Catholic.
“He has a unique feel for the game,” says Rupnik. “And he’s such a smart player, a college-level player, so he knows when to shoot, when to pass, and what offense we need to run. And it helps that he’s such a good shooter. You’d better be alert when you play with him because you never know when the ball’s coming your way. He knows when to make the right plays.”
Rupnik benefited from that sixth sense Friday night as Penrod threaded the needle more than once to Rupnik standing wide open in the lane or on the baseline.
And defensively, Penrod is another, equally dangerous threat…his hands constantly disruptive, stealing the ball, deflecting a pass, or breaking down an opponent’s dribble.
And he does it all so modestly that one or the Eagles’ cheerleaders describes him this way: “He’s also a really good guy. We works really hard at everything he does.”
A good dancer?
“I’m not sure,” she answered. “He probably would be if he wanted to.”
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In his 15 years as head coach at Troy Christian, coach Ray Zawadzki is known for two significant things. He always forms the prayer circle following the games, leading athletes from both teams in a brief moment of thanksgiving. And, he’s known for a pair of good point guards that he says has made it easy for him to win games, and in 2013 take Troy Christian to the state Final Four.
One of those guards was his son, Grant. The other, you guessed it…is Parker Penrod.
What’s better? A made 3-point shot or a great assist? Parker Penrod watches his pass find an open shooter in the lane.
“Tonight was step one of where we want to get to,” said Zawadzki. “Tonight we earned the right to get to the next step. So I was proud of how hard our kids played, how focused they were, and how determined they were.
“I’ve been here 15 years and eight of those fifteen years I’ve had two 1,000-point scorers, two college scholarship point guards, and that makes this job a lot easier.
“Parker is special, like Grant, and there aren’t going to be too many guards that walk through our halls like those two. We’re blessed to have him, like we were to have Grant. They’re very much alike. The only difference is that one is left-handed (Penrod) and the other is right-handed. There’s a lot of similarities – Parker might be quicker with the ball off the dribble, and he can score at three different levels. When you can do that you’re a matchup nightmare for opposing teams.”
It’s obvious that Penrod would rather play basketball than talk about playing basketball. He’s modest about his skills and impact, and some opposing coaches point to the fact that sometimes he’s modest to a fault.
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“When you’re that skilled, sometimes you need to get to the bottom line. Take it to the rim and score instead of looking for another, lesser shooting option,” says one.
But then, in Rupnik’s words…Parker Penrod always seems to know when to make the right pass, to the right player, at the right time.
“I think what makes him special is his understanding of what’s going on around him,” says now assistant coach, Grant Zawadzki. “It starts with him being a good leader. He does a good job of allowing the game to come to him. He doesn’t force things. He understands all the pieces on the floor, the system, and I think that speaks a lot about my dad, the system that he teaches, and the trust that’s there between player and coach. You understand that it’s about winning, right? And it’s not about yourself. And Parker does such a good job of buying into that.”
He’ll move on to play his college basketball next fall at Ohio Christian College, in Circleville, Ohio, an opportunity that fits his personality, his character, and his goals as a student and athlete. He’s not concerned about how big, but rather, the quality of the experience. That all started young.
“When I was little I was happiest when I was out on the basketball court,” he smiles. “And it’s still my happiest place, 100%. It’s where I love and where I grew up.”
He emphasizes team…always!
“We didn’t shoot our best tonight, but the reason we had that run in the first half is because we stepped things up defensively, we picked up the tempo, our bread and butter is pushing the pace in transition and not many teams in Division IV can stop our transition. I trust my teammates. I know they’re going to make the right plays. And if they don’t make the right play I know they’re going to get the ball back on defense.”
And it comes as no surprise, then, that when asked…what’s the biggest rush? A great assist, or a made three-point shot? He immediately answers, “A great assist, for sure.”
In the event that a bigger basketball opportunity comes up for him between now and next fall, he shakes his head and answers that it isn’t a priority. He’s given his word to Ohio Christian, all 1,500 of them, and like his game on the court, he’s dependable to honor that commitment.
“I don’t think it’s likely that it would happen (a bigger offer),” he added, trying to conceal a modest grin.
Even if Anthony Grant called? Penrod and UD’s Javon Bennett are the same size.
“Even if Anthony Grant calls,” he nodded.
Parker Penrod always knows when to make the right play – the right decision.
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