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Player Spurned NBA Draft for School, but Still Dreams of Going Pro

By Roberta Dooms
Black College Wire

Photo credit: Michael Kosman Tim Parham said, "I believe in my heart the NBA has a place for me to grow and excel."

In late June, basketball players from American colleges and high schools, and some from foreign countries, walked across the stage of New York's Madison Square Garden and shook hands with National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern. The ritual was a first step in the young men's journey to play in the NBA.

Tim Parham, a senior at University of Maryland Eastern Shore, is waiting for his chance to shake the commissioner's hand. After declaring for the NBA draft in May, Parham withdrew his name so that he could return to school for his senior season.

�I wanted to get my degree and have one more shot at having a winning season," the 6-foot-9, 240-pound center said. "Also, I think my stats will improve dramatically with the incoming players I'm anticipating,� said Parham. He averaged 29 minutes, 11.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game; 14 points and 10 rebounds in conference play.

Improvement in those statistics should impress NBA scouts, who did not invite Parham to the pre-draft camp in Chicago, Parham's hometown.

If drafted, Parham, a 22-year-old criminal justice major, would be the first player from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) since the Sacramento Kings picked Jerome James in the second round in 1998.

The last time a player was drafted from UMES was in 1974, when three players were chosen.

Parham, who attended Ellsworth Community College in Iowa City, Iowa, might not have truly gotten a chance to show off his skills for the NBA during the summer, but he still learned some lessons. �The NBA is a business. It's also mainly politics," he said, adding, "Getting drafted is based on potential.�

The draft in recent years has not been about the potential of players from black colleges but of those from other Division I schools.

Many, including Parham, believe that there is an assumption that the talents of players from historically black colleges and universities are inferior to those in bigger conferences such as the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Big Ten.

The assumption about the level of talent, as well as the lack of exposure, has led to fewer than a handful of players from historically black colleges in the league.

During this year's NBA playoffs, two players from black colleges, Ben Wallace, who had gone to Virginia Union, and James, Florida A&M University, participated.

�My biggest reason I entered the draft is I believe in my heart the NBA has a place for me to grow and excel in excellence. It is my dream and something I've worked hard for thus far,� Parham said.

Parham was recruited by Big Ten colleges but decided to go to Eastern Shore because a cousin was on the staff.

Parham has vowed that even if he is not drafted out of college, one day he will reach the NBA. �Even if I have to do a couple years in Europe, I will be in the league one day,� he said.

�My sports information director got a call from a scouting agency in which they named me top 70 in the draft. I'm just going to build off that and keep my faith in God. He'll steer me in the right direction.�

That direction, he hopes, will lead Parham to a walk across the stage at Madison Square Garden and a handshake by the commissioner.

Roberta Dooms is a student at Howard University.

Posted Sept. 19, 2005