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New Assistant at Illinois State

tornado

tornado

New member
True to form, there are some real puzzling aspects to this.

It has been rumored for a couple weeks that new ISU head coach Tim Jankovich is going to hire Osiris Eldridge's high school coach, Paris Parham, as the new assistant at ISU.

Strangely, the ISU folks were a little testy about a suggestion that it is a done deal and is for the purpose of keeping OE in the fold at ISU.

But now we have annoucements that it's already been accomplished, while at the same time, no announcement was issued from ISU.
http://www.windycitybasketball.com/index.php?id=276

A day later ISU did issue a release:
http://goredbirds.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/051507aaa.html

But even more puzzling is the significant discrepancy in Parham's past employment history.

One source says he was a D-I assistant at Maryland-Eastern Shore for 2 years, but another source says four years, then the ISU release says THREE years.
Will someone please step forward and clear this up?
Why all the discrepancy?

There also seems to be a discrepancy in how long he's been at Minnesota State.
Here's is a bit of the discussion at Redbirdfans.
http://www.redbirdfan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7068
http://www.windycitybasketball.com/index.php?id=276
http://www.chicagohoops.com/articles1/parham.html
http://umeshawks.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/123003aaa.html
 
The guy is a veteran of the Chicago Public League and the local AAU circuit, so you want to know what things look shady?
:roll:
 
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2007/05/15/sports/doc464a4944842cc391426445.txt

Jankovich said he didn???‚¬?„?t know Parham was Eldridge???‚¬?„?s high school coach until he began to dig deeper into Parham???‚¬?„?s background. That was the reason Jankovich said he held off calling Parham for a while.

???‚¬?“I heard the rumors that Osiris could stay or possibly leave. I made the decision I would not talk to Paris until that situation was resolved because I would not want a relationship built in any way, shape or form on that,???‚¬?? said Jankovich. ???‚¬?“He didn???‚¬?„?t know, but I knew he was on a very short list. I wanted him to be positive he was being looked at for one reason, and one reason only, and not to leverage any situation.???‚¬??

After Eldridge decided to stay at ISU, Jankovich got in touch with Parham.


Spin away Spin away. :?
 
cpacmel said:
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2007/05/15/sports/doc464a4944842cc391426445.txt

Jankovich said he didn???‚¬?„?t know Parham was Eldridge???‚¬?„?s high school coach until he began to dig deeper into Parham???‚¬?„?s background. That was the reason Jankovich said he held off calling Parham for a while.

???‚¬?“I heard the rumors that Osiris could stay or possibly leave. I made the decision I would not talk to Paris until that situation was resolved because I would not want a relationship built in any way, shape or form on that,???‚¬?? said Jankovich. ???‚¬?“He didn???‚¬?„?t know, but I knew he was on a very short list. I wanted him to be positive he was being looked at for one reason, and one reason only, and not to leverage any situation.???‚¬??

After Eldridge decided to stay at ISU, Jankovich got in touch with Parham.


Spin away T. Spin away. :?
Click to expand...

Jankovich could be making that up for all you know.... because WE know the truth. :wink:
 
I must alert everyone that we are now at our maximum allowable limit for Osiris Eldridge posts, or ISU related posts.
Judging from communications I have had with several of you, there is an overwhelming sentiment to axe this thread. So I will ask that we drop this argument, or this might become the first thread voted off the island. :lol:
 
Here is the accurate bio on Paris Parham from an indisputable source:

--played high school ball in Chicago for Dunbar HS, graduated in 1991.
--1991-1993, played 2 years of ball at Lincoln College, Lincoln, IL.
--1993-1995 finished his college career at D-II Minnesota State (Mankato, MN).
--1995-2001, stayed on initially as postgraduate assistant and then as assistant coach at Minnesota State.
--2001-2004 spent 3 years as assistant coach at Univerisity of Maryland-Eastern Shore.
UMES is a D-I school in the MEAC that has perennially been RPI >> 300.
--2004-2005 coached at Chicago Phillips HS
2006-2007 Coached at Chicago Morgan Park HS

So...
3 years of head coaching experience in the Chicago Public League
3 years as assistant coach at D-I, UMES
6 years as assistant at D-II Minnesota State.

Sorry guys..but you all must stay on topic, or posts will be edited. Keep it about the topic not the posters.
 
Let me get this straight, he finished playing high school ball back at the end of the 1980's,
then from 1991 through three years ago has been in Maryland and Minnesota,
then he has 3 years of coaching at Phillips & Morgan Park, neither exactly a repeat Elite Eight participant.
So what am I missing when I read people saying he has
"extensive experience in Chicago high school circles" and "strong ties to Chicago"?
If there's spin being spun, it's when you call 3 years of coaching extensive,
and try to pretend that his connection to Eldridge isn't the reason.
Please, Redbird fans, allow us to remain a bit skeptical of Jankovich's "spin".

Using this definition, then back in 2005, Jim Les had already accumulated
"extensive experience in Division I college coaching" and the critics should have let up way back then! :roll:
 
chitownBUB said:
Let me get this straight, he finished playing high school ball back at the end of the 1980's,
then from 1991 through three years ago has been in Maryland and Minnesota,
then he has 3 years of coaching at Phillips & Morgan Park, neither exactly a repeat Elite Eight participant.
So what am I missing when I read people saying he has
"extensive experience in Chicago high school circles" and "strong ties to Chicago"?
If there's spin being spun, it's when you call 3 years of coaching extensive,
and try to pretend that his connection to Eldridge isn't the reason.
Please, Redbird fans, allow us to remain a bit skeptical of Jankovich's "spin".

Using this definition, then back in 2005, Jim Les had already accumulated
"extensive experience in Division I college coaching" and the critics should have let up way back then! :roll:
Click to expand...


According to T's 'indisputable' source, Parham graduated from Dunbar in '91 not the late 80's. He then went to LinColn College (still in Illinois I think :roll: ) for 2 years and then to Minnesota and Maryland for the next 10 or so.

Are you suggesting that in the time he wasn't in Chicago he never came home? Never had a single conversation with anyone from the city he was raised in? Just because he lived in another state, he loses all ties to the city he was reared in? I mean, that's pretty ridiculous isn't it?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Parham reference the fact that he recruited Chicago while in Maryland? Doesn't that show he had 'contacts'? I mean what are you saying bro?

BTW-In 3 years back coaching in Chicago, that is an eternity in re-establishing or establishing your name in those coaching and recruiting circles.
 
Get back to me if Bradley hires Matt Roth's high school coach or Iman Shumpert's high school coach, then we can continue this silly debate as to whether this hire would have taken place regardless of where King O was playing.
 
Being a stickler for accuracy, DC, Paris graduated in 1990-1991, and the calendar year 1990 is part of the 1980's decade, it is the 10th year in that decade. So technically you can both be right on this one.
Plus, I am happy you chose not to dispute my indisputable source!

Why then do all the news reports say Parham has "10 years of college coaching experience"?
http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/stories/051507aae.html
http://www.wjbc.com/wire2/news/02590_Parham-ISU-Assistant_055328.htm
http://ciproud.com/content/fulltext/?cid=2388
http://www.pjstarforums.com/sports/viewtopic.php?t=55589
 
Come on, Both of ya, who cares who ISU hires? We talk about all college teams here, especially MVC teams, so it only seems fitting we talk a little bit more about our rivals, I mean I understand if on RBF they don't talk about BU much I suppose... the way the last several games between us have gone, I wouldn't talk much about BU either... :wink:
 
As a Bradley fan I enjoy reading first about BU, but 2nd about the other Valley schools, and 3rd about D-I college basketball in general.

I think we'd have had a discussion going on any school in the Valley that has personnell changes, and especially about the one Valley school that is BU's most intense rival over the past couple decades.

By the way, the assistant coaching changes at BU are being discussed at other Valley boards:
http://redbirdfan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7057&sid=cb4b5be2e98687c2935e95521fa3b425
http://redbirdfan.com/forum/viewtop...ssistant&sid=cb4b5be2e98687c2935e95521fa3b425




By the way,
Here is a story on Maryland, Eastern Shore.
They have definitely had some bad years.
The story says they have had only one winning season since 1982, their graduation rates have been bad and they are on the NCAA watch list, and they just fired the head coach that replaced the guy Parham worked under (Parham and the whole staff in 2004 were canned for lousy performance) and hired a very successful high school coach, Meredith Smith.
One of their players is Gary Lee who was kicked out of Northwestern for academic failure, exactly the same time Brandon Lee was booted (no relation) and transferred to UMES.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/...,0,4371750.story?coll=bal-college-mbasketball
 
chitownBUB said:
Let me get this straight, he finished playing high school ball back at the end of the 1980's,
then from 1991 through three years ago has been in Maryland and Minnesota,
then he has 3 years of coaching at Phillips & Morgan Park, neither exactly a repeat Elite Eight participant.
So what am I missing when I read people saying he has
"extensive experience in Chicago high school circles" and "strong ties to Chicago"?
If there's spin being spun, it's when you call 3 years of coaching extensive,
and try to pretend that his connection to Eldridge isn't the reason.
Please, Redbird fans, allow us to remain a bit skeptical of Jankovich's "spin".

Using this definition, then back in 2005, Jim Les had already accumulated
"extensive experience in Division I college coaching" and the critics should have let up way back then! :roll:
Click to expand...

http://www.chicagohoops.com/articles1/parhamisu.html

Parham's greatest strength will be his strong connection to the basketball-rich Chicago area where Parham is both well known, and well liked.


Sounds like strong ties to me.
 
chitownBUB said:
If there's spin being spun, it's when you call 3 years of coaching extensive,
and try to pretend that his connection to Eldridge isn't the reason.
Please, Redbird fans, allow us to remain a bit skeptical of Jankovich's "spin".
Click to expand...

I cant say I blame you or anyone else being skeptical over whether or not retaining OE was the reason for Parham being hired. It's a situation that prompts a natural reaction of skepticism if you ask me. However, as I said in the other thread, none of is will ever truly know 100% for certain what the deal is.

Jankovich stated that all the stuff with OE was sorted out before he even talked to Parham. I'm inclined to believe this because nothing in this mix and certainly nothing Jankovich has done so far leads me to believe otherwise. Does that mean its 100% true? No.

Is Parham here to help retain OE? Possibly, but I doubt Jankovich, Zenger, or Parham himself will come out and say so. So again, we'll never know. This can be speculated, conjectured, argued about and discussed until we are all blue in the face but unless any of us actually is Jankovich, Zenger, or Parham we will never know for sure.
 
cpacmel said:
Parham's greatest strength will be his strong connection to the basketball-rich Chicago area
Click to expand...

OK...but those Chicago folks and AAU "string-pullers" sure have been hostile to just about every downstate school the past decade or two.

Can't say UIUC, Bradley, ISU, or anyone (except a couple of Mullins' kids who are mostly suburbaners) has been able to tap the talent from Chicago.

I hope for your sake he can get there, but even when we were told that's exactly what Wayne McClain and Tracy Webster were so very good at and were going to do, I have yet to see any evidence of it.

If you know, please tell me why it has been that the Chicago kids seem to look down on playing at instate schools other than DePaul?
 
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