The Vikings called a timeout after the play, and his teammates were quick to give him grief, playfully shoving him in the huddle over taking the less-entertaining route. Ernsthausen could only break out into a sheepish grin.
»PREVIEW: Wright State at Green Bay
Of his 545 career points, including a season-high 14 against Cleveland State, none have come on dunks. And that’s not likely to change.
“I don’t know if I have a mental block or what,” he said during the post-game interview with guard Mark Hughes by his side. “That probably was my opportunity. I’ve had maybe two or three real chances. Mark threw it to me on a fast break last year where I should’ve dunked.
“That was a great pass (by Gentry). It would have been a top play. But two points is two points.”
Hughes wasn’t going to let his teammate off the hook that easily.
Asked what he would have done, the high-leaping senior said, “It would have gotten freaky.”
Ernsthausen then shot back, “Mark probably would have put his hand in the cookie jar. But that may have been a technical afterward.”
»ARCHDEACON: WSU big man a true student-athlete
No one is complaining, though, that Ernsthausen isn’t among the Raiders who do much of their work above the rim. He’s too valuable elsewhere.
“Parker is playing great,” coach Scott Nagy said. “It’s all the other stuff that people really don’t recognize — his communication and his leadership have been phenomenal. He’s the one positive guy we had when things weren’t going well, and he’s the smartest defender we have.”
Ed Heintschel, who is in his 40th year as the Toledo St. John’s coach, watched with pride as his former player turned in another fundamentally sound performance on Senior Day against Youngstown State on Saturday.
Though he took only three shots and scored two points, Ernsthausen orchestrated the defense by barking out instructions. He also spaced the floor on offense as a 3-point threat (he’s made 22 this season), allowing sophomore center Loudon Love to have the room inside to score 26 points.
»RELATED: Wright State alone atop Horizon standings
“I was watching him out there, and I thought he was verbally leading the team and directing traffic,” Heintschel said. “He’s a great leader. He was highly respected by all kinds of kids — the ornery ones as well as the good ones. He’s a universally respected kid and always has been.”
The coach certainly didn’t see Ernstahusen blossoming into a two-year starter at a mid-major program on the rise when he started high school. He was only 5-7 then and so raw that he was relegated to the freshman B team.
But he grew to nearly 6-9 by his senior year and then added a couple of inches after becoming a Raider.
“His progress and development are something we promote with our kids. We say, ‘This can happen if you work.’ Of course, it doesn’t hurt to be 6-11,” Heintschel said with a laugh.
“But he was doing the little things, taking charges and setting screens. And I saw them use him against the (full-court) press because he’s tall and a big target, and he’s just slow enough to slow everything down so you can function, which is important. We used him a lot for that, too. He just makes good decisions. You can trust him.”
»MARCH FORECAST: Raiders a No. 15 seed
Ernsthausen is graduating with a double-major in accounting and finance. He already has a job lined up with Deloitte, the global accounting firm, and will start in October in Phoenix.
But before he joins the real world, he's committed to helping the first-place Raiders win the Horizon League. They have a one-game lead over Northern Kentucky and finish the regular season at Green Bay on Thursday and Milwaukee on Saturday.
“I just want to do whatever it is to help the team,” said Ernsthausen, who is averaging 4.9 points and is third in assists at 2.3 per game. “I know that sounds cliché, but we have teams that don’t even want to call their (offensive) plays because I’m yelling them out when they do.
“The staff does a great job telling us the plays, and I think it helps Mark Hughes and Alan Vest feel comfortable on the main players. The coaches talked to me at halftime (against Youngstown State) and said, ‘Parker, you don’t have a field-goal attempt, but we feel like you’re impacting the game.’ That’s why I’m on the floor. Obviously, everyone wants to score, but some nights are not my night.”
Though he’ll never be a prolific scorer, he’s having an impact on the team’s biggest point producers.
“He’s been a mentor to me and a lot of the younger guys,” Love said. “He keeps people in line a lot.”
He can show them the importance of valuing defense, playing with a high basketball IQ and making positive contributions that don’t always get noticed.
Just don’t ask him to dunk.
THURSDAY’S GAME
Wright State at Green Bay, 8 p.m., ESPN+, 106.5-FM
About the Author