By Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
Blue Ridge has turned to Susquehanna junior high coach Wes Parks to be the new head coach of its boys basketball program.
Parks was hired to lead the program at his alma mater during a school board meeting earlier this month.
“I had talked about having an interest in it over the years,” said Parks, who has been active in the Blue Ridge Basketball Club, a youth program in the district, for 10 years along with spending five years and winning a division championship on the junior high level with the Sabers. “It always was in my mind as something I would enjoy doing, being in charge of a program from kindergarten through 12th grade and hopefully turn the school that I not only send my kids to, but that I went to, into a (Lackawanna League) Division 4 power.”
Parks intends to be flexible in that pursuit.
“Our style will be based on the personnel that comes onto the court for us every year,” he said. “You have to coach to the abilities that they have, whether it’s a run-and-gun style or if you have a couple bigs and you have to take care of the post play.”
In their final season under coach Casey Jenkins, the Raiders finished tied for second in Lackawanna Division 4 with a 7-3 record. They were 7-6 overall, losing at home in the District 2 Class 2A quarterfinals where they ran into eventual state semifinalist Old Forge.
Blue Ridge is participating in a summer league across the border and Parks, who said he is already familiar with much of the team’s personnel, is conducting open gyms “a couple times a week” at Blue Ridge.
