Royce Parham, top '24 target, takes in Penn State on official visit
The Penn State men’s basketball program hosted one of its top priorities in the Class of 2024 for an official visit last weekend. Royce Parham, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound power forward out of North Hills in Pittsburgh took his second trip to see the Nittany Lions up close and personal since the spring.
And, once again, he came away impressed by the visit.
“It’s a really good vibe,” Parham said of the visit. “I like talking to all the coaches there. It was really nice.”
Royce Parham’s visit itinerary
Arriving on campus midday on Friday, Parham and his parents, Kim and James Parham (his mother, then Kim Calhoun, was a standout player for the Lady Lions) ate lunch with the Penn State coaching staff, then toured the campus. They then went back to head coach Micah Shrewsberry’s house for dinner later that night with a fellow official visitor, Dwayne Pierce.
The next morning, Parham joined Penn State’s coaches for breakfast with his player hosts for the weekend, Evan Mahaffey and Jameel Brown. Afterward, they went back to the Bryce Jordan Center to watch practice and spent time meeting with Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft and Assistant AD for Performance Nutrition Services, Nikki Jupe.
Able to take in Penn State’s practice, they then visited with other unofficial visitors and their families, as well as the extended Penn State basketball family, at the program’s tailgate outside the BJC. Taking it all in ahead of the White Out football game at Beaver Stadium between the Nittany Lions and Minnesota, Parham said his parents also left feeling good about the visit.
“They really like the campus, coaches, Penn State,” Parham said. “All of that. They really like it.”
Royce Parham’s next steps
Ahead of his junior season at North Hills, Parham is well underway with his recruiting process for the next stage in his career. One of the nation’s best prospects, rated by On3 as a four-star and the No. 55-ranked player in the Class of 2024, Parham has garnered serious attention from Maryland, Penn State, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and a bevy of other programs.
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Taking an official visit to see the Badgers earlier this fall, Parham took an unofficial to Maryland two weeks ago and is still set to take another official visit to Notre Dame in two weeks. According to Parham, those four programs have been contacting him the most and displaying the most interest at this point in the process, though he also expects other schools and offers to continue to come in.
Offering a self-scout in which he called himself an all-around type of player who is a good passer and leader for his team, he is working to improve his ball-handling and shot for a North Hills program that utilizes him at every position on the floor.
Sizing up the elements he’ll be looking for from his college program of choice, Parham indicated a handful of priorities that stand out to him.
“I want the quality of the program to obviously be good and in a good position to win and stuff like that. I want to help them,” Parham said. “And then I want good coaches that I’m able to bond with, a good campus, and good facilities are what I like.”
Parham expects to make a decision sometime soon after next summer’s Peach Jam, which is set for late July 2023.
