Basket Basher

Look to the Cal State Northridge bench late in a game and usually you will find Jeff Parris.

Swaddled in sweaty towels and sandwiched between teammates, Parris was positioned in his customary place Thursday night at the Matadome as the final seconds ticked away in a 73-63 Big Sky Conference basketball victory over Montana State.

Parris took a seat in the second half with four points and one rebound--numbers hardly indicative of his season averages of 12.3 points and 5.1 rebounds.

Parris’ four fouls were a better barometer of his performance. In eight of 16 games this season, Parris has fouled out, evidence of his aggressive style of play.

“It happens,” Parris said with a shrug. “It’s not like I’m trying to do it on purpose or anything. It’s the style I play. If I’m going to get a lot of ticky-tack fouls, I can’t do anything about that.

“I play the same way I played last year. The difference this year is, I’m playing a lot more minutes.”

And making a greater impact. While Northridge (11-5, 3-2 in conference play) has started impressively, Parris has played an integral role. He ranks third on the team in scoring and rebounds, and scored a career-high 24 points in a victory over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

He also leads the Matadors with five charges taken.

“You can’t fault a guy who plays as hard as he does,” Coach Bobby Braswell of Northridge said.

In tonight’s game--Northridge hosts Montana at 7 in a Big Sky matchup--Parris, who played only 13 minutes against Montana State, might find himself on the bench before the final buzzer. But not likely before providing his much-needed tenacity beneath the basket for a team with only a few big men.

At 6 feet 5 and 220 pounds, Parris is the smallest member of the Matadors’ frontcourt. Yet, as Braswell’s first recruit at Northridge four years ago, he has been in the thick of things for some time.

“He’s the Beast,” teammate Andre Larry said. “That’s what we call him. He is the strongest player on our team and I don’t think all of our opponents know that. But what he’s capable of. . . Jeff, one-on-one, can score at will.”

Perhaps no player more appropriately represents the Matadors than Parris, whose style is overachieving on the court and understated off it.

Away from bashing the boards, Parris is genuinely bashful while talking to the media, fidgeting his way through any interview in which he is the topic of conversation.

“You want to talk to me?” he said.

Few players stand out among the Matadors in Braswell’s taut system. Parris isn’t about to be one of them.

“I came here to get a degree and athletics is second,” Parris said. “As far as basketball goes, I hope I do great. But I had no hopes of playing in front of large crowds or having any fame. I just wanted to play.”

Parris played four seasons at Long Beach Jordan High, averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds his senior year while leading the Panthers to a Southern Section title.

Braswell, then an assistant at Oregon, flashes a warm smile when recalling his first encounter with Parris. Braswell discovered Parris while scouting high school players with higher profiles and bigger bodies.

“I was impressed with him,” Braswell said. “You can’t fault a guy who plays as hard as he does. But I was looking at a 6-4 or 6-5 guy and thinking, ‘Where’s he going to play in the Pac-10?’ ”

The Big Sky has proved the right fit for Parris, who has averaged 8.4 points and 4.3 rebounds while playing in 56 games over two seasons.

Last season, Parris played in every game except the final one, a 91-90 loss to Montana State in the opening round of the Big Sky tournament. Back spasms slowed Parris late in the season until he was unable to play.

Parris knows his absence hurt the Matadors. This season, his focus is to stick around until the end--of the season, that is.

“If I get in foul trouble, I have to sit more,” Parris said. “But I try to play hard and lead by example. The coach can’t afford to let me sit that much.”