Kevin Parrom broke into the Arizona Wildcats starting lineup after just seven games, but you still won't see his full impact by reading the box scores.
Checking out YouTube is probably a better idea.
Parrom, a Wildcats freshman forward from Bronx, N.Y., showed up on the Internet in a video replaying his hard foul on ASU's Ty Abbott in the Wildcats' 77-58 win over ASU on Saturday.
The video shows Parrom racing down court behind Abbott, draping his arm over the top of Abbott's head to disrupt a potential dunk, and then smiling as the two jawed afterward.
Parrom, who said Tuesday he did not intend to hurt Abbott, also grinned as he exited the floor, having picked up his fourth and fifth fouls on the play.
"I just think the greatest thing about that foul was the smile on his face," UA forward Jamelle Horne said. "That's going to be famous. They should put that up in the hallway."
Parrom smiled again Tuesday when asked about the foul and the reaction it received.
"I can't wait to go back to Tempe," Parrom said.
Parrom actually stopped another potential breakaway bucket with a foul in just his fourth game back from a foot stress fracture, at UCLA on Jan. 2, and he also has been giving the Wildcats rebounding and rugged defense on the wing at 6 feet 6 inches and 205 pounds.
His increased presence has arrived just in time for the Wildcats, who will need him Thursday against two difficult threats in Stanford's Landry Fields and Jeremy Green.
"I would say Kevin Parrom playing more minutes has really helped our team," UA coach Sean Miller said. "In fact, if I could ask for one thing to go back in time, I would have loved to see both Kevin and our team if he had been here from start to finish. He would be further along comprehensively on offense and defense. He'd have an even bigger role than he has now, and I think our team would be much further along. We might even have a couple more wins under our belts. I don't know.
"Because when he plays more, it gives us a bigger perimeter player on defense. He's able to rebound on offense and defense, which we desperately needed. He makes us deeper, more interchangeable. I thought his play against Arizona State was one of the big factors in us winning that game."
Parrom doesn't score much - averaging just 3.7 points and making just 1 of 8 three-pointers - but that hardly matters to the Wildcats at this point.
"Kevin is unfortunately stuck with the gift and the curse of being one of those guys who don't show up in the box score with 20 points, 15 rebounds or whatever," Horne said. "But since Kevin's been back, he gives us toughness, rebounds and he gives us another guy who can defend and push the ball. He likes seeing other guys score, and that's very rare in a player, especially a freshman."
Miller said Parrom's unselfishness was also evident in the way he had no interest in taking a medical redshirt, even though he had missed 10 games with the foot injury when he returned Dec. 23.
"He wanted to contribute and start playing," Miller said. "It's also his unselfish attitude that helps our team."
Parrom, whose soft-spoken nature belies his aggressiveness on the court, said it was hard to watch the Wildcats lose twice at the Maui Invitational while sitting out. But he traveled to all games during his rehabilitation and picked up a few things from his viewpoint on the bench.
"It was sort of a blessing, watching other people make mistakes and learning from them," Parrom said. "It was good and bad at the same time. But I'm glad to be back."
Now that Parrom is on the floor, and guard Kyle Fogg's scoring has given the UA much-needed offensive balance, Miller said the Wildcats have a chance to make a move.
If the Wildcats can beat Stanford, they will play California on Sunday for at least a share of the Pac-10 lead.
"We have four double-figure scorers consistently, and our team defense now, you can point to almost any statistic and it will show it's improved," Miller said. "We're also shooting a high percentage from the foul line and we've gone to the foul line often. Those are all statistics we've worked hard to improve on, and if they stay in place, we have a great opportunity here over this next month."
Miller said he is counting on Horne and senior guard Nic Wise to keep the Wildcats' intensity high this week, after the UA split its first three Pac-10 weekends. The Wildcats have now won two straight but have not won three consecutive games since a run of seven through Feb. 14 of last season.
"He constantly yells out that it's been a while since we won three in row," Horne said of Miller.
"That's definitely what the coaches should do. Guys get comfortable winning and they're ripe for a loss. But in our perspective, we're looking like we just want to run through the rest of the Pac-10 if we can."
UP NEXT
• What: Stanford at Arizona
• When: 6 p.m. Thursday
• TV: Fox College Sports; check with your cable provider for channels
• Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM, 990-AM (Spanish)
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