Wisconsin basketball recruiting: UW offers 2024 big man Royce Parham

Rated as a 4-star, the native of Pittsburgh is quickly blowing up on the recruiting trail.

College basketball coaches were racking up the frequent flier miles this past week with multiple big time grassroots tournaments going on, not the least of which include Peach Jam and the Under Armour Association finals. Wisconsin coaches were checking in on a number of recruits and have found at least one new player to offer.

2024 4-star (On3 rating only) big man Royce Parham (Pittsburgh) out of North Hills High School and Team Durant on the Nike AAU circuit announced on Twitter late Saturday night that he has earned an offer from Greg Gard’s Badgers. He currently holds other offers from Duquesne, George Mason, Penn State, Pitt, Robert Morris, Rutgers, TCU, VCU and Xavier.

Parham stands at 6-foot-9 and weighs 200ish pounds. On3 rates him as the No. 53 player and No. 11 PF in the 2024 class while also ranking him as the third best player in Pennsylvania. His On3 predictions list hometown Duquesne and Penn State as the early favorites. According to an interview he did with Jamie Shaw, the Nittany Lions will most likely get a long look as his mom is the school’s all-time blocked shots leader.

He averaged 20.8 points, nine rebounds and six blocks a game while shooting 64.2% from the field and 74.4% from the free throw line last season as a sophomore. His North Hills team had the best year in school history, going 26-2, making the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) finals for the second time ever and reaching the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) 6A (the biggest schools in the state) quarterfinals for the first time ever.

Parham was also named to the Pennsylvania Sports Writers All-State Team for Class 6A, which, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, is quite unusual for a sophomore. In fact, since all-state teams were picked by school classifications, only three other sophomores from the Pittsburgh area have made an all-state team.

There is a lot to like about Parham’s game, even in these short video clips. He has the ability to step out and make threes, which is a must when you think about potentially pairing him with 2023 big man Gus Yalden who has a more traditional post-based game.

Parham’s defensive instincts are on full display in the second video. He doesn’t fall for the first pump fake and isn’t overly aggressive, even when coming in from behind to swat a shot. He already looks like he could be a plus rim protector and he has the potential to grow another inch or two, making him all the more imposing on the inside.

His rebounding looks good too. He high points the ball, using his height and long arms to his advantage, and he is also able to rebound over players without committing a foul. Parham is the kind of player anybody would want on their team and he is definitely worth following over the next year to see if Wisconsin gets in deep on this recruitment.