Sumter High grad Brandon Parker earns PBC Player of the Week award

FLORENCE, SC – For the second time in three weeks and the third time this season, Francis Marion University senior forward Brandon Parker has earned Peach Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honors, this time for the week of Jan. 13-20. The weekly award is presented by Floor Action.

Parker averaged 24.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.7 steals per game as the Patriots won two of three PBC contests. Francis Marion is 13-3 overall and tied for second in the conference at 9-2. The Sumter, S.C., native shot 60 percent from the field, including 11-of-21 from behind the three-point arc, and hit all 19 of his free throw attempts.  

During the week, he surpassed 1,000 points for his career and climbed up the FMU career scoring chart to 16th position with 1,070 points.

He began with 26 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in a win against Columbus State University, and then added 21 with seven boards in a narrow loss to Augusta University. He finished with 25 points – 23 of those in the second half – nine rebounds and seven assists in a win at Flagler College.   

Parker continues to lead the PBC in scoring with 20.6 ppg.  He also leads the league in made free throws and is third in three-pointers made and three-point percentage (46.8%) and ninth in rebounding (6.8 rpg).

He was previously named the PBC Player of the Week for the opening week of the 2018-19 campaign and on Jan. 14.

The Patriots will play a key PBC game at nationally ranked UNC Pembroke on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. before hosting Georgia College on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.  FMU and UNCP, along with Augusta, are all tied for second place in the Peach Belt standings, 1.5 games behind first-place USC Aiken.

Parker was a third-team All-PBC selection last season and is a product of Sumter High School.