Robbie Parris
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| Listed height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Oak Bay High School (Oak Bay, British Columbia) |
| College | University of Victoria (1974–1979) |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 20 |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Robbie Parris is a former Canadian basketball player and coach. He was a five-time Canada West all-star, one of the only athletes in history to accomplish this feat.[1][2][3] He was also a Canadian University ("CIAU") Second-team All-Canadian and a CIAU tournament all-star.[4][5]
High school
[edit]Parris played at the high school level at Oak Bay High School.[6][7] In his senior year (1974), he was named MVP of the Island Championships and was named a first-team All-Provincial All-star.[7] He and his teammates won the BC high school championships twice (1973, 1974).[6][7]
University
[edit]Parris played for the University of Victoria for five seasons from 1974-1979.[8][9] He has been described as the point-guard template and precursor to Canadian greats Eli Pasquale and Steve Nash.[7]
Parris was named a Canada West All-star in each of his five seasons: three times as a Second-team all-star (1975, 1976, 1977) and twice as a First-team all-star (1978, 1979).[1][2][6] Only six other athletes in history have been five-time Canada West all-stars: Eli Pasquale, Karl Tilleman, Spencer McKay, Byron Tokarchuk, Andrew Spagrud and Jacob Doerksen.[1][2][3]
In his final season (1979), Parris was named as a Second-team All-Canadian and as CIAU tournament all-star.[4][5][10][11]
Parris graduated with the most regular season points in University of Victoria history and currently ranks 10th overall.[12] He also graduated with the most career playoff points in Victoria Vikes history and currently ranks 9th overall.[13]
Parris was named University of Victoria's MVP and Most Inspirational player several times.[6][7]
The Victoria Vikes performed well under Parris' leadership. In 1979, Victoria finished second in the CIAU tournament and were the Canada West champions.[8][14][15] In 1978, the Vikes were CIAU semifinalists and also were the Canada West champions.[8][14][16]
Coaching
[edit]Parris returned to Oak Bay High School as an assistant coach to the senior boys team, where they won three straight Island Championships from 2016-18.[7]
Post-career recognition
[edit]In 2005, Parris was inducted into the University of Victoria Sports Hall of Fame.[6][17][18] He was also inducted into the Oak Bay High School Sports Hall of Fame.[7]
Parris' jersey (#20) was retired by the university in 2004, being the first basketball player in the university's history to have his jersey retired.[6][7]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Award Winners for Canada West First Team All-Star". U Sports Hoops. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Award Winners for Canada West Second Team All-Star". U Sports Hoops. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- 1 2 "Award Winners for Canada West Third Team All-Star". U Sports Hoops. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- 1 2 "Men's Basketball All-Canadian Teams" (PDF). U Sports. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- 1 2 "Men's Basketball Championship All-Stars" (PDF). U Sports. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Robbie Parris". UVic Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Oak Bay Alumni Sports Hall of Fame". Oak Bay High School. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Robbie Parris". U Sports Hoops. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- ↑ "All-time roster information for Victoria Vikes". U Sports Hoops. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- ↑ "Award Winners for Men's Basketball Second Team All-Canadian". U Sports Hoops. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- ↑ "Award Winners for Championship Tournament All-Star Team". U Sports Hoops. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- ↑ "Career Records for Regular Season League Games for Victoria Vikes". U Sports Hoops. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- ↑ "Career Records for Playoff Games for Victoria Vikes". U Sports Hoops. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- 1 2 "U Sports Championship Results" (PDF). U Sports. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- ↑ "Victoria Vikings - 1978-79 Season". U Sports Hoops. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- ↑ "Victoria Vikings - 1977-78 Season". U Sports Hoops. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- ↑ Watson, Andy (February 9, 2012). "Two athletes, one team to be inducted into UVic Sports Hall of Fame in April". University of Victoria Athletics. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- ↑ "UVic Sports Hall of Fame". University of Victoria Athletics. Retrieved 6 October 2025.