This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Race Parsons waited for years for his turn.
He waited for the opportunity to slip on the South Sevier jersey and wipe dry the bottom of his shoes before stepping onto the court. He always was around the program — he was a team manager as a kid and always paid attention at every practice and team meeting.
"Race grew up on South Sevier basketball," Rams coach Scott Hunt said.
Once Parsons became eligible for the varsity level, the next four years became a series of jaw-dropping plays, state championships and 93 wins to just seven losses. Two Class 2A state crowns and 2,093 career points — enough for fifth all time in Utah boys' basketball history — will be Parsons' legacy in his hometown, but Hunt said there is more than that.
"Every time the jump ball went up, I knew he was ready to play," Hunt said. "I've never had a kid in my 21 years of being a head coach ... play as hard from start to finish on every single play."
Parsons said his time at South Sevier is irreplaceable. Yes, he'll move on to play Division I ball at Southern Utah, the same place his father and older sister played, but his time in a Rams uniform is what he'll always cherish.
"I'm going to continue to miss it the rest of my life," he said.
The final game of his career, the third-place game against Emery, was the most recent lasting memory for the Rams star. As he said, the entire town was there. He didn't expect that. He scored 36 points and emerged victorious in his final game. He averaged 27 points and eight rebounds a game this season, and he drained 87 3-pointers.
"SUU is the next step, and that's where I'm going to try and be better," he said. "I hope it will be a fraction of what my time at South Sevier has been."
Twitter: @chriskamrani —