Parhas leads the way for Harper

When the Harper women's basketball team takes the court, the average fan would be hard-pressed to figure out which player is the team's preseason All-American.

But once the ball is tipped, rest assured anyone watching quickly figures out it is the player wearing jersey No. 2, guard Peggie Parhas.

The 5-foot-8 Lake Zurich graduate ('08) leads the Hawks in scoring averaging at 17 points per game and serves as one of coach Mark Smith's tri-captains, along with Noreen Davis (Conant) and Nina Montero (Schaumburg).

The Hawks are off to an 12-6 overall record after a 50-45 victory over Milwaukee Tech on Tuesday, and they have a 2-1 mark in North Central Community College Conference play this season. Her performance in that game was typical of this season - a team-high 18 points with 12 rebounds, a pair of 3-pointers, 4-for-4 at the foul line and 2 steals. She's averaging 5 assists and leads the team in that category as you might expect from a guard - but she also leads the Hawks with 7.7 rebounds per game.

After her senior year at LZ, Parhas was both a Daily Herald all-area selection and an all-North Suburban Conference choice. Her path was more direct than many of the athletes who choose Harper.

"I had applied to Harper," she explained, "so I knew I was going there."

After visiting the campus and playing pickup games with the '07-08 Hawks, Parhas knew Harper was the place for her.

"So it all worked perfectly," she said. "It was a guarantee that I would play basketball and go to school."

Still, not everything went smoothly for Parhas. She was recruited by former Harper coach Rusty Becker, but in September before her freshman year, Becker left the program.

Current coach Mark Smith was promoted to the head coach's chair and benefited from Parhas' skills.

"You could tell she could play" Smith said.

Parhas would like to get her Associate's Degree and transfer to a four-year school to finish her college eligibility. The sophomore guard has a 3.39 GPA on a 4.0 scale.

She is being recruited by several local NCAA Division II and III schools. Smith believes Parhas could play at the Division I level; he thinks Parhas would fit in best at a MAC or Missouri Valley Conference school.

"I'm looking for someone that wants me," Parhas said.

Parhas is currently undecided about a major but is looking into possibly majoring in communications or physical therapy.

Before the season, Parhas was voted a preseason NJCAA Division III All-American.

"I am very satisfied in what we have done in the last year," said Parhas, who says she'd just like to work on the "little things" when it comes to improving her game.

Smith believes Parhas will continue to put in the time needed to help the Hawks find success.

"A lot of (her success) has come from the confidence from last year," said Smith.