SSC 40 Greatest Moments Features UT's Bryan Williams
MELBOURNE, Fla. - A pair of Sunshine State Conference men's basketball players became the NCAA national statistical leaders across all Divisions. On January 11th, 1997, Daniel Parke of Rollins College tied University of Tampa's Bryan Williams' NCAA record streak of 79 consecutive games with a three-point field goal. On January 15th, 1997, Parke surpassed Williams to become the most consistent three-point shooter in NCAA basketball history.
February 13th, 1991 was a special day for Williams and Parke. During a conference game at Rollins College, Williams tied the record for consecutive games with a three-point bucket. Parke, a tenth-grader at the time, was in attendance to see the hot shooting All-American reach the mark.
''I remember they stopped the game to give him the ball and make an announcement,'' said Parke at the time of his record. ''I figured then he must be pretty good, but I don't think I understood what he had really done.''
Parke's streak began Jan. 26, 1994, in the 17th game of his freshman season at Barry College (now Barry University). Parke started 19 of 24 games that season, hitting at least one three-pointer in the last 11 games of the season.
"I hadn't really been aware of the streak until the beginning of this season,'' commented Parke. ''And then where I hit [the tying shot] - on the baseline in front of the visitors' bench - is exactly where he hit his.''
Parke's streak surged past 79 games and consummated at 93 games on February 28th, 1997. His 93 consecutive game mark is still tops in all three divisions, making him the most consistent three-point shooter in NCAA history.
Parke was a 1996 NABC All-American and a three-time All-Sunshine State Conference honoree, landing on the first team in 1996 and 1997. He is currently second on the Tars all-time points list with 2,029, fourth in field goals, first in three point field goals and fourth in free throws.
Bryan Williams was a first-team USA Today/Basketball Gazette All-American in 1990. He was also a second-team NABC All-American in 1990 and third team Basketball Times All-American in 1990 and 1991. A three-time All-SSC selection, Williams was also named to theAll-South Region on three occasions. Among career leaders, he ranks third in UT history in scoring with 2,195, first in three-pointers made, first in three-point percentage, first in steals, and first in steals average.
