The Oldest College Newspaper in Pennsylvania

The Lafayette

The Oldest College Newspaper in Pennsylvania

The Lafayette

The Oldest College Newspaper in Pennsylvania

The Lafayette

Timeout with… senior defensive back Phillip Parham

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Phillip Parham by the quad (Photo by Dilge Dilsiz ‘ 19)

This week The Lafayette sits down with the Leopards’ leader in interceptions, defensive back Phillip Parham.

Julia Owens: The Leopards have yielded a total of 17 points over their two Patriot League wins. How have you and your unit contained the two opposing teams’ offenses?

Phillip Parham: I think we just did a really good job of executing [assistant coach Luke] Thompson’s defensive game. We just keyed in our key, we all did our jobs and we came out on top.

JO: You recorded your fourth interception of the season during the win against Fordham at a critical time. What did you see on that play to get the right positioning?

PP: I was in cover three so I was over top and I [saw] the receiver break on the post so I was on top of that. Then I [saw] the quarterback throw the ball and the receiver broke on a different route. I don’t think the quarterback and the receiver were on the same page, but I [saw] the ball so I just went and got it.

JO: Your teammate, sophomore Eric Mitchell, says you’re a great mentor. What advice will you give to the next leader of the defensive backs?

PP: The only advice I can really give is to be yourself. Don’t try to be Superman. Just be the best player you can possibly be and you’ll beat them that way.

JO: Who was your mentor when you first started with the team?

PP: Probably Matt Smalley and Jay Roberts. Jay Roberts was a senior at the time and Smalley was a junior so I looked up to both of them when I first got here.

JO: How has the team evolved since your freshman season?

PP: I think that we’ve become…more of a tight-knit group so we can really depend on each other when we’re in a dire time. You know, we’ve had a couple bad seasons, but we all stuck together through thick and thin, and now we’re here and trying to make the last season worth it.

JO: What is one memory you will always have from being on the team?

PP: One memory I’ll always have is probably just every Laf-Lehigh game. It’s the big game of the year, last game of the season every year. [It’s] just a big rivalry atmosphere, anything can happen.

JO: When did you first get into football?

PP: When I was around six years old, my dad asked me if I wanted to play. I just said yeah, so when it was time – I think peewee started at seven or eight – so when I turned seven or eight, he just brought me to the team and I started playing. I’ve been playing ever since.

JO: Do you have a favorite pro-team?

PP: My favorite pro-team would be the Lions because I’m from Detroit, but if I had to pick a second it would be the Steelers because that was the name of my Little League team growing up.

JO: Do you have a favorite pre-game ritual?

PP: I just like to get on the field about a half hour to an hour before game time and get warmed up, do a couple drills, listen to my music.

JO: What other sports do you like to play and watch besides football?

PP: Basketball. I play a lot of [NBA] 2K.

JO: What are your plans after graduation?

PP: Hopefully I get a shot at trying out for the league, but if not, I’ll try to go in to some type of finance job.

JO: What’s something we don’t know about you?

PP: I used to play bass guitar when I was younger, but then football started taking over so I had to get out of that and focus more on football.

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