Seven of the players on the St. Mary-of-the-Woods College women’s basketball roster are taller than junior guard Tara Parmer.
Two are her height (5-foot-4), and only one is shorter.
Therefore, it defies logic that Parmer, a 2014 Franklin Community High School graduate who is the Pomeroys’ top scorer this season, also sets the pace in rebounds at 7.1 per game.
“I just go after the ball,” Parmer said with a laugh. “I just try to follow it.”
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Parmer took the court Thursday night in the game at Oakland City averaging 16.3 points, 2.9 assists and 2.6 steals. Her 25 made 3-pointers are second on the team to the 30 of sophomore guard Callan Taylor.
Last season, Parmer averaged nine points a contest for St. Mary-of-the-Woods, a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA).
Her freshman scoring average was 7.5 points.
The decidedly increased scoring load compared to seasons past is necessary after the Pomeroys graduated three seniors — including Tara’s sister, Shelby, a 5-4 guard and two-time USCAA All-American — from last season’s squad.
Deanna Bradley, the St. Mary-of-the-Woods coach since 1991, implements a platoon system in which she continuously substitutes players in and out of the lineup.
This season the Pomeroys (4-8) average 82.6 points a game.
“This year I’ve had to step into more of a leadership role and contribute to the team as much as I can,” Parmer said. “We sub in and out the whole game, so it really doesn’t matter who starts. Now that I’ve gotten the hang of it, I kind of like it. Everybody that dresses plays.”
In the season-opener, a 130-95 loss to Brescia, Parmer scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. She came off the bench for 18 and 10 the following outing, a victory against Wright State-Lake Campus.
Her best outing statistically is 30 points and 11 boards in a 111-87 defeat of Blackburn in November. She would go on to duplicate her scoring outburst in an eight-point win against MacMurray.
Bradley is impressed with how Parmer has taken on increased responsibility on offense.
“Tara is playing well and is on pace to have a much better year offensively than last year,” Bradley said. “Because our numbers are a little lower than we like, we are putting her in the point guard position as well as shooting guard because she is quite skilled in both of those areas.
“She continues to be consistent in her performances, and I believe has taken her game up a notch this year.”
On the court and off, the past few months have seemed different to Parmer now that her sister and closest confidant has graduated.
The two were teammates at Franklin Community High School during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. Shelby went on to play two seasons at Vincennes University before the two reconnected on the St. Mary-of-the-Woods roster before the start of the 2014-15 season.
“Our relationship now that she’s gone is even better because when I go home it’s a time when we haven’t seen each other for a while,” Tara said.
“I know she misses me, but I probably miss her more.”
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THE PARMER FILE
Name: Tara Parmer
Age: 20
Family: Parents, Rick and Stacy; sister, Shelby, 23; brother, R.J., 17
High school: Franklin (2014)
Major: Business administration
Career points: 672
Career rebounds: 299
Career assists: 184
Career steals: 165
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