Santa Maria Sun / Athlete of the Week

Athlete of the Week: Shemarr Parker

Although Shemarr Parker only recently came to Santa Maria from the Bronx, he’s made his way from anonymity to a near-hot-shot within the halls of Santa Maria High School.

Shemarr Parker PHOTO BY HENRY HOUSTON

Before his brother had him moved to Santa Maria—he also has another brother who plays on the team, senior Marquis Parker—Shemarr had been playing basketball for his high school in the Bronx. Starting his freshman year on the JV team, he moved up to varsity and was ranked in the top 75 in New York.

Now a sophomore on Santa Maria’s boys’ basketball team, he’s been a high-performing player, which has benefited his image on campus—at the very least.

“When I first came here, I went by unnoticed,” he said. “But now I get a lot of high fives.”

Shemarr is garnering more attention thanks to his performance on the court. He’s ranked second on the team for the number of points he’s scored—averaging 9.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

“We’re creating a culture of winning,” said Mark Siverly, who came out of retirement last year to coach the Santa Maria team. “We’ve got about five weeks left in the season, and we’re on our way to the championship.”

If Shemarr keeps up on the scoreboard—as he did in the Nipomo game in which he racked up 15 points—there won’t be much of a surprise if Santa Maria comes out on top again.

For the next two years, Shemarr wants to continue playing with Santa Maria. But when it comes time for college, he isn’t too interested in staying in California because he wants to “see more of the country.”

He’s looking to play in a Division I team, so here’s looking at you, Arizona, Oregon, and Colorado State.

—Henry Houston