Loveland, Ohio – In their home opener on Monday, December 5 before the Women’s Varsity game began, former Head Coach Darnell Parker was recognized for the impact his life made on the Loveland and regional athletic community.
The evening was also a fundraiser for the Foundation set up by his daughters, Alexis and Madison Parker to raise scholarship dollars for deserving graduates.
Jessica Early (alumni parent) spearheaded the tribute night, along with help of Athletic Director Rich Bryant, Assistant Athletic Director Shayne Lyons, (alumni parent), and with the help of all the current Loveland basketball parents, coaches, and players.
Early said afterward, “We wanted to make sure that Coach Parker’s family felt our love. We wanted the girls to have the opportunity to publicly dedicate the season to Coach Parker. Our Loveland community and basketball program were so greatly impacted and inspired by Darnell.”
Here is a LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video from December 2021 the night before Coach Parker went to the Cleveland Clinic for cancer surgery.
Split-the-pot raffle tickets and half-court shot tickets were sold throughout the JV and Varsity games.
Josie Early had a game-high 16 points to lead the Tigers to a 51-36 win. Olivia Raby scored 11 and Nailah Grant scored 9.
You can continue to donate to the Darnell Parker Memorial Athletic Scholarship…
If you are interested in applying for this scholarship, information will be available in Spring 2023 to apply. If you would like to contribute to the Darnell Parker Memorial Athletic Scholarship, click here. Donations may also be venmo’d to @Dana-Parker-41 or checks made payable to S3C, Inc. may be mailed to 6187 Cardington Place, West Chester, OH 45069.
Coach Parker told Cassie Mattia in January 2022, “This community needs a win, and I have to deliver it to them.” He said it with his legendary smile when Mattia interviewed him for a “What’s In Loveland’s DNA” interview.
Mattia said at the time, “Coach Parker has certainly become a big part of the Loveland community spreading positivity among his student-athletes and the cancer community. There’s no question that Coach Parker is a part of ‘What’s in Loveland’s DNA!”
