Texas Legends exec praises Parks for his shooting, versatility & great character

MANILA, Philippines -- The Texas Legends are looking to form a team that has a lot of versatility and good character guys according to Byron Bogar, the team's Director of Player Programs.

Fil-Am guard Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. easily fits the bill based on what he has shown in the first week of the training camp.

“He’s (Parks) a really good shooter. Piggyback on the same word we're using all day, he's very versatile. He can give you some minutes at the point, he can give you some minutes at shooting guard,” Bogar said in the latest episode of Beyond the Bounce posted on the team's official website.

Parks, Jr. played mostly at shooting guard and three-spot while playing in the Philippines. Just like what his former college coach Eric Altamirano of the NU Bulldogs said, the 6-foot-4 guard needs more exposure at point guard to get a greater chance of getting called up in the NBA.

“Ray just needs to get used to playing the point,” said Altamirano in an earlier interview with Philstar.com.

Bure more than his skills set, Parks, Jr.'s calling card to the NBA Summer Camp and the developmental league is his great character, widely credited to how his father Bobby, a former seven-time PBA Best Import and a Hall of Famer, raised him.

“He’s been playing great defense. In all he’s a great character guy,” Bogar added.

Parks, Jr. was able to convince the Dallas Mavericks and the Legends that he can bring more than what his decent numbers (3.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in 10.5 minutes) in the NBA Summer League to warrant their first selection in the D-League Draft.

Legends coach Nick Van Exel is overall pleased with Parks, Jr. and the rest of the players he got in the training camp. 

"The beauty of it is we got a lot of good shooters that are battling for the same position. We got guys who are good... being a good teammate, being a professional. It's always a blessing and makes your job a lot easier," Exel said. 

Parks, Jr. is expected to make the final cut out of the 17-man training camp roster. The Legends will begin their season on the road against the Austin Spurs on Nov. 13 and the Oklahoma City Blue on Nov. 15.

Parks, Jr. and the Legends will debut in Dallas before a home crowd that is expected draw the Filipino community in Texas.