Gerald Parks was a solid four-year contributor for the men's basketball program as the Penguins advanced to the NCAA Tournament twice during his career.
In his career, Parks played in 102 games and scored in double figures 71 times. Always a reliable offensive threat, he had 1,326 points in his career, while averaging 13 points per contest. From the field he was 569-of-1,276 (44.6 percent) and from the free-throw line was 189-of-271 (69.7 percent). Parks scored more than 248 points each season with the program, and, by the time his career ended, he was ranked eighth in career scoring.
As a freshman in 1974-75, Parks played in 25 contests as the Penguins posted a 19-9 overall mark. For the season he scored 248 points, had 57 assists and grabbed 27 rebounds. From the field he made 100-of-241 attempts (41.5 percent) and converted 70 percent (49-of-70) from the free-throw line.
During the season he had 12 double-digit scoring games, highlighted by a 25-point effort against Steubenville. He made a season-high 12 field goals in the contest. He also had 22 points against Alliance.
As a sophomore in 1975-76, Parks played in 26 contests and finished second team on the team in scoring and assists. Parks scored 322 points, averaging 12.4 per contest. He grabbed 67 rebounds, dished out 65 assists, shot 44.7 percent from the field (142-318) and made 38-of-54 free throws (70.4 percent).
He had 16 double-figure scoring games, highlighted by back-to-back 21-point performances against Akron and Steubenville. On four occasions he led the Guins in scoring. The Penguins posted a 17-9 record for the year.
As a junior in 1976-77, he played in all 27 games as the Penguins posted an impressive 21-6 mark. YSU started the campaign winning its first nine games, including a 78-73 win over Pittsburgh.
He finished second on the team in scoring with 362 total points while averaging 13.4 points a contest. For the season he made 163-of-348 field-goal attempts (46.8 percent) and made 36-of-57 free-throw attempts (63.2 percent). He had 74 assists, 70 rebounds and 35 steals on the campaign. He had 21 games of scoring in double figures and had four 20-plus point contests. Parks scored a season-high 26 points against Mount Union and had 25 against Buffalo.
As a senior in 1977-78, he had the best offensive season of his career appearing in 24 contests. Parks scored 394 points on the year, averaging 16.4 per contest. He was 164-of-369 from the field (44.4 percent) and made 66-of-90 free-throw attempts (73.3 percent). Parks grabbed 57 rebounds.
He played in 24 games and scored in double figures 22 times. He had three 30-plus point efforts and a 28-point performance. He finished with a career-best 33 points against Akron in which he knocked down 13 field goals. He had 31 points against Maine, highlighted by an 11-of-12 effort from the free-throw line, and scored 31 against Clarion after making a career-best 14 field goals.
Parks majored in Marketing Management at Youngstown State before receiving his degree in Marketing from Cleveland State. He currently works in Financial Services and has been a high school and college basketball official for more than 20 years.
Prior to coming to YSU he was a standout at Cleveland Benedictine High School. He was the second all-time leading scorer and had a career-high of 64 points in a single game. He was inducted into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000.
Parks resides in Garfield Heights, Ohio, and is the proud father of his son, Gerald Jr., and daughter, Asra.
