Radford center big man in Big South

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Art Parakhouski’s first impressions of America were formed in the snowy, windswept hamlet of Twin Falls, Idaho. Tucked about halfway between Boise and Pocatello near Interstate 84, Twin Falls is home to about 40,000 people and the College of Southern Idaho, a community college that regularly pumps out Division I basketball players.

As out of place as a 6-foot-11 Belarusian looked in the middle of nowhere, imagine how he felt. Parakhouski’s knowledge of the English language was rudimentary at best. He was away from his family for the first time, chasing a dream planted in his mind by a man named Ali Ton, who moonlighted as an assistant coach of the Turkish National 20-under team while working as an assistant at Binghamton University.

Parakhouski was a member of the Belarus team at the European Junior Championships, and Ton — who is now a Radford assistant — liked what he saw. Big, physical, athletic. The perfect size to be an impact Division I player. Ton’s vision was prescient, of course. Parakhouski stormed onto the Big South scene last winter, averaging 16.2 points and 11.2 rebounds per game on his way to earning conference player of the year honors. Tuesday, he was honored as the preseason player of the year at the conference’s annual media day.

But before he could gain any of those accolades, he had to accommodate himself to his new country. At CSI, he spent much of his freshman year trying to get his academics in order, not an easy thing to do when you don’t know the language.

“I couldn’t speak to people at all,” Parakhouski said Tuesday, speaking very clean English. “I was like a shadow walking in Idaho. People tried to communicate with me, but I couldn’t speak to them. It was kind of challenging.”

The language barrier was difficult enough to deal with. But Parakhouski also had to deal with the intricacies of learning the American style of basketball. Parakhouski, who turned 22 last week, only began playing basketball when he was 16. So while the raw size and talent was there, the skill had yet to develop.

By the time he was a sophomore at CSI, though, he began to break through. His handle on the language was much better, his grades improved and his on-court performance reflected the confidence of a young man who was beginning to become secure with a new identity.

Parakhouski led the Scenic West Athletic Conference in shooting percentage (64.4 percent) and was second in the league in rebounds (8.4) and blocks (1.41) per game. He racked up 21 rebounds in just 16 minutes in one game that year and helped CSI to a 30-2 record and a No. 2 national JUCO ranking.

Ton moved from Binghamton to Radford before the 2007-08 season, and he played an instrumental role in recruiting Parakhouski to RU.

But that move presented another challenge for Parakhouski, who had become accustomed to playing against smaller post players in the JUCO ranks. He had to adjust not only to tougher competition, but the increased academic and social demands of playing at a four-year school. It took some time for Parakhouski to get acclimated, but once he did, he took off.

He scored more than 20 points just once in his first 19 games at Radford, but he broke the mark six times in his last 14. Parakhouski scored 39 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in the regular-season finale against Liberty and was simply unguardable in the Big South tournament. He scored 26 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in the tournament final against VMI.

“He’s a load,” Keydets coach Duggar Baucom said. “You’ve just got to keep the ball from him, because if he gets it down low, he’s going to score. You’ve got to do your work early and not let him get it. Because if he does get it, he’s difficult to defend.”

RU coach Brad Greenberg said Parakhouski has just scratched the surface of what he can do. Greenberg, who once was the general manager of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, knows what his big center must do to enter the NBA draft conversation.

“He can rebound right now in any game,” Greenberg said. “And he’s strong enough to play in just about any game. But he can improve on some things offensively. He’s got a touch facing (the basket), and people really haven’t seen that. You’ll probably see more of it this year. But he can continue to work on passing, footwork, low-post moves, stuff that any young player has to work on.”

The Parakhouski who appeared at Tuesday’s media day was in stark contrast to the shy young Belarusian who first stepped foot in Idaho three years ago. He’s a star on campus, and huge reason for the sudden resurgence in Radford basketball. The Highlanders are the near unanimous pick to repeat as Big South champions (UNC Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach voted for Winthrop), and Parakhouski is suddenly the face of the program.

“Everywhere I go, people recognize me,” Parakhouski said. “Even now, it’s like, ‘oh, how cool it must be to play against Tyler Hansbrough and Deon Thompson,’ and people like that. It just feels special. A year ago, nobody cared about basketball here. It motivates you to do good things.”