RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Ouachita forward Christian Parks was named the Great American Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the third time during his junior campaign, the league announced Monday.
Parks has claimed the weekly honor in three consecutive months, further cementing his immediate presence as one of the league's premier interior defenders. The 6-foot-7 rim protector totaled 17 rebounds and seven blocked shots across two wins for the No. 20 Tigers last week.
Parks logged a career-high 37 minutes in Saturday's victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State and posted 12 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and one steal. All three of Parks' blocks came in the second half, highlighted by a six-second sequence on the game clock in which he swatted away a shot that bounced into the crowd, then immediately denied the Rangers again on the ensuing possession to spark a fast break.
Parks leads the GAC with 56 blocked shots through 21 games, while his 2.7 blocks per game rank seventh nationally among NCAA Division II players. The Meridian, Mississippi native has recorded multiple blocks in five straight games. He crashes the glass to terminate possessions for opponents and ranks third in the conference in total rebounds, averaging 7.0 per contest.
Anchored by Parks patrolling the paint, Ouachita ranks among the top five Division II teams in fewest field goals allowed and scoring defense (60.7 points allowed per game).
The Tigers (18-3, 14-1 GAC) return to action Monday night, traveling to Harding (14-7, 10-5 GAC) for their third game in five days. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Searcy.
