Parzych, Wauwatosa East Ready to Make Noise in the GMC
Wauwatosa East’s 2018-19 season was mediocre at best. Tosa East won just three conference games and it was kicked from the playoffs after a 61-55 defeat at the hands of Wisconsin Lutheran. So, why is there so much hype surrounding…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWauwatosa East’s 2018-19 season was mediocre at best. Tosa East won just three conference games and it was kicked from the playoffs after a 61-55 defeat at the hands of Wisconsin Lutheran.
So, why is there so much hype surrounding this team as the high school basketball season approaches?
For starters, TE’s John Lovelace, Leon Bond, and Alex Singleton all look like they have improved greatly over the spring and summer. All three prospects now have more experience and skill. The return of Brian Parzych is the other reason why many people, including Prep Hoops Wisconsin’s Evan Flood, are penciling in Wauwatosa East for a turnaround year. Parzych led TE in scoring last year, tallying 12.7 per contest as a sophomore. If the Red Raiders want any chance at a Phoenix-like rise from their self-inflicted ashes, Parzych will be forced to shoulder a bigger workload as the team’s top guard.
Before I talk about Parzych’s upcoming junior season, let’s go back to his AAU campaign with Wisconsin Swing — where he became a name-to-know for many high school basketball fans.
“The AAU season with Swing was great. It was my first year with the program and it was a great experience. I loved all the guys and we played really well together. Swing had a family atmosphere that I wouldn’t trade for anything,” said the guard.
Parzych’s performance on the AAU Circuit is what allowed him to earn some college interest.
“Right now I’ve been talking with Northern Michigan, Bemidji State, Minnesota-Moorehead, Minnesota-Duluth and Michigan Tech. Wofford came and watched me work out a couple of weeks ago. Right now Northern Michigan has been showing a lot of interest. They saw me play at NY2LA and did an in-home visit, and I’ll be visiting there on October 12th (Which happens to be today). Bemidji State has been showing a lot of interest also. Talking with their assistant coach we’ve made a good connection and I like the way they play.”
Parzych’s ability to create something out of nothing is a big reason why schools will continue to put him at the top of their bulletin board. He can fly around the court and make plays regardless of what the defense is trying to do.
Now, let’s pivot back to Parzych’s junior season at Wauwatosa East. The guard thinks that the Red Raiders could be a serious contender in the Greater Metro Conference.
“We have a lot of returning talent and a lot of new talent that we are really excited about it. But we also play in the GMC, where 3-4 teams return talent also. I feel like if everyone buys into the We over Me mentality, we can do something really special.”
Playing Sussex Hamilton, Brookfield Central, Brookfield East, and Menomonee Falls twice a year won’t be an easy task. The GMC is loaded with talent, which is why it is always brought up first in the conversation of Wisconsin’s best conferences.
Parzych later told Prep Hoops Wisconsin,”[I want to] Be a leader and a playmaker. I feel like we have enough guys that can do a lot of things really well. And my main focus is to get wins. Whether it’s scoring, passing, rebounding, or defender. Just anyway necessary to get a win.”
Wins were something that didn’t come easily for Wauwatosa East last year. At the end of most of their contests, the scoreboard was not tilted in favor of the Red Raiders. With Brian Parzych running the offense in 2019-20, TE is bound to find themselves winning more games.