‘Spark plug’ of the team

Some athletes are easy to get a focus on. Not David Park. A major part of the football, basketball and track programs at Post Falls Christian Academy, the 5-foot-6-inch senior athlete is usually just a streak of light moving up and down the basketball court for the Eagles. Don’t blink; you’ll lose him.

Arguably the fastest player among Idaho high school athletics up and down the court, Park is also an accurate three-point shooter.

His quickness also helps the Eagles in other sports.

“I advanced to the state track tournament in the 300-meter hurdles my sophomore year,” said Park. “My girlfriend was on the team, and I got talked into competing by her.”

One thing Park did not have to get talked into was moving to the shooting guard position this year to allow fellow senior Matt Rouse to run the offense.

“With Matt on the court, I can focus on getting open for shots,” said Park. “I’m not involved in passing as much this year.”

PFCA coach Tim Mitchell said Park is the team’s “spark plug.”

“At least 60 percent of our offensive plays go through him. Every team in the league keys on him, but he still gets over 20 points on average,” Mitchell said. “He shoots in the neighborhood of 70 percent from the field. He is our designated shooter, but you can’t overlook his defensive skills.”

The Eagles run a full-court press the entire game on defense. Park, Rouse and fellow senior Josiah Manes make it difficult for opponents to reach half court. Once they do, the Eagles fall into an equally aggressive defense that forces turnovers regularly.

Park has attended basketball camps at Gonzaga University every summer.

“I met Derek Raivio (Gonzaga point guard) last summer,” said Park. “I’ve learned a lot from talking to him and watching him play in competition.”

Park lists his favorite memory as the end of a basketball game against Wallace High School last season.

“We were down by 2 points to them at home with only a few seconds left in the game, and I hit a three-pointer to win. That was our last game of the regular season.” From there, the Eagles went on to advance to the 1A State Tournament, where they won a game against Rockland. Park is hungry to get another crack at the state tournament in his senior year.

Park also played a number of positions for the PFCA football team.

“He played quarterback, running back, wide receiver, cornerback, safety, and was our punt and kick returner,” said coach Kevin Rouse. “I believe he was third on the team in tackles for the year with 37 or 38. He had good reads and is a great athlete.”

As for the future, Park is looking at continuing his athletic career in college.

“I may go to NIC for two years, then on to the University of Idaho to work on a degree, unless a partial scholarship opens up somewhere to play basketball,” he said. “I am also interested in flight school and may take a course at the Coeur d’Alene Airport to get my private pilot’s license.”

He also may follow his father into a career as a barber.

“Barber college might be in my future,” Park said. “I have tried to talk my teammates into letting me practice on them, but I guess they don’t have much trust in me with scissors.”

His teammates do trust him with the ball when the game is on the line. Like any pure shooter, Park builds confidence during the game, and when the shots start dropping, he’s not likely to miss down the stretch.