WPIAL
Former WPIAL Star Royce Parham Makes March Madness Debut
CLEVELAND — A former WPIAL standout played in Cleveland’s NCAA Tournament regional on Friday night.
Former North Hills star big man Royce Parham competed in Marquette’s game against New Mexico on Friday night in the Round of 64. Parham played 19 minutes in the Golden Eagles’ loss to New Mexico, scoring two points. He went 1 for 4 from the field and 0 for 2.
Marquette and New Mexico were locked in a tight game for the majority of the game, but the Lobos, coached by Richard Pitino — son of Rick Pitino — took control of the game later in the second half behind Donovan Dent and company. That wraps up Parham’s rookie year at Marquette, in which he played in 34 games and averaged around 15 minutes per game.
Parham was a two-time member of the All-State team while playing for North Hills in the WPIAL. He spent three seasons there, averaging 28 points and ten rebounds per game as a junior in 2022-23. He then decided to leave Pittsburgh to attend Western Reserve Academy in Ohio for his senior campaign. Despite the big loss to the Pittsburgh hoops community, it seems as though Parham’s development has come along nicely as he is already seeing minutes in close, late-game action of Division One basketball as a freshman.
Parham finished high school as the No. 93 player in the nation, and a four-star prospect. He would have been the No. 5-ranked player in Pennsylvania had he stayed for his senior season. He finished as the No. 3 player in Ohio, per 247 Sports.
Stay tuned on Pittsburgh Sports Now for more on WPIAL basketball players and for year-round college basketball coverage.
