State 4A Player of Year rewrote school scoring records at Kentridge
After erasing portions of the Kentridge High School record book and earning Class 4A State Player of the Year honors, Renado Parker is taking his basketball talent to North Idaho College.
Parker, who set a single-season school scoring record this past winter with 620 points (21.6 per game) and finished with a KR record-setting 1,589 for his four-year career, signed last week with the Cardinals. North Idaho, located in Coeur d’Alene plays in the Scenic West Athletic Conference and is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association.
“I was talking to some junior colleges, but I didn’t want to be too close to home,” Parker said.
The 6-foot-6 Parker was ranked No. 1 among power forwards in Washington by NorthwestHoops.com. In addition to being named 4A Player of the Year by the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association, Parker earned a share of Most Valuable Player honors in the South Puget Sound League North Division after helping the Chargers win their second straight division title.
Kentridge went 11-3 in league play last winter, then took fifth at district and advanced to state for the second consecutive season. The Chargers wound up with a 22-7 overall record.
As a junior, Parker helped Kentridge earn a spot in the 4A state championship game, which eventually was won by Spokane’s Ferris in double overtime at the Tacoma Dome, 68-61.
In addition to the single-season and career scoring records at KR, Parker also set a one-season mark for most field goals last winter with 247. And, with 733 career rebounds, he came within three of the school’s all-time mark of 736, set from 1990-93 by Jeremy Flagel.
Parker’s scoring record of 1,589 points might stand for a while. The old mark was 1,246, set from 1985-88 by Anthony Williams. Only two other Chargers – Flagel (1,106 points from 1990-93) and Mike Blauman (1,006 from 1972-75) have broken the 1,000-point barrier.
North Idaho, coached by Jared Phay, went 20-12 last season, 5-10 in the six-school Scenic West Athletic Conference. The Cardinals lost to conference champion College of Southern Idaho in the second round of the conference tournament. SWAC member Salt Lake Community College went all the way to the NJCAA national championship game, falling to South Plains College of Texas, 67-56.
Parker said he’s already trying to raise the level of his game.
“I’m going to play the 4 (power forward) and little bit of 3 (small forward), maybe,” he said. “I’m working on my ball handling and my shooting and my defense.”
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