The Stallion That Dreamed The Stallion That Dreamed

Syracuse Stallion Lloyd Parkman is pushing to get what he wants .

Stallions
10/30/2018
Sam Carter

Anchor: For many Playing professional sports is a dream they will never come true. N-C-C New’s Sam Carter went to see what one man is doing to keep his dream alive.

Reporter
Reporter: This time of year, some people in Syracuse are basketball crazy and a new team in town is giving some peope a chance to fufil the dream of playing professional basketball.

Lloyd Parkman:whether its practice or a game I feel so at home in my envirnment, when the crowd is roaring and everybody is just going nuts there is a piece with in.

Reporter: Two Years ago Lloyd Parkman thought he might never feel that peace again.

Lloyd Parkman: yea yea I thought I was done after Delhi I knew it was my last game.

Reporter: So with dream of playing profetional basketball done Lloyd took a job doing residential construction for the last two years. that is until this past summer.

Reporter: That’s when the dream of playing professional basketball came back to life for Lloyd when he signed his first professional contract to play for the newly formed Syracuse Stallions who play in the American Basketball Association. Everyday when Lloyd leaves work he goes to pursue his passion.

Reporter (stand up): But it is not until Lloyd leaves work that the real work begins, right here at the Greater Syracuse Y-M-C-A.” (:06)

Reporter: Every day when he leaves work Lloyed heads to the gym and puts up shot after shot after shot because he knows if he keeps working hard he can achieve even more. As for whats next Parkman is realistic but knows anything is possible.

Lloyd Parkman: Realistically I mean anything is possible just being real with my self I dont think that is something that is going to happen. like I said I don’t think that is something that is going to happen

Reporter: So with that in mind hes going to keep shooting his shot until he gets what he wants

Reporter: Lloyd is already off to a great star this year, in the Stallions opening game against Oneonta he scored 17 points pulled down 5 rebounds and dished out 5 assists. We are going to have more on the Stallions in Future news casts and online at N-C-C New’s online, back to you guys in the studio.

Anchor: The Stallions won their first game against Oneonta and play Elmira on Sunday.

Lloyd William Parkman III is a residential construction worker. Lloyd cuts sheetrock, does electrical work, plumbing – basically a little bit of everything and he likes it just fine. However, ask Lloyd what he really wants to be doing and he will probably say, “playing basketball.”

The 24-year-old Lloyd has loved basketball since he was a kid and relied on the game to get him through tough times during his youth.

“Ever since I was young I would use [basketball] to escape from a ton of things that go on in my life,” he continued.”It just helped me growing up with all of my hardships I’ve had to deal with.”

Though he starred at SUNY Delhi, averaging more than twenty points-per-game in a fourteen game season, Parkman was forced to leave the school due to his inability to pay his second-semester tuition. Given this reality, it’s easy to see why Lloyd thought that his dreams of playing professional basketball were over.

Stallions ABA
Stallions ABA branding
© 2018 Mike Sugamosto

“I thought it was done. I knew it was my last game…I told coach and he said that we could try and work out financial aid but I realized and accepted that I needed to figure out my next step,” Lloyd said.

Lloyd’s next step would lead him into a job in construction. However, a glimmer of hope presented itself this past summer when the American Basketball Association announced that it would hold open tryouts for an expansion team located in Syracuse. Lloyd seized on that opportunity and beat out more than 150 other hopefuls and secured a contract to play for the Syracuse Stallions. Now that he has achieved his dream of being paid to play the game he loves Lloyd is dreaming even bigger.

Now that he has achieved his dream of being paid to play the game he loves Lloyd is now thinking even bigger.

“They [The Stallions] give me exposure to try and get overseas, to play at the next level.” He said

Even though he can’t help but daydream about what the future might hold, he still has his focus on the current season. When asked what his goals are for this upcoming season he only has one word, “Championship.”

The Stallions won their first game of the season this past Sunday, beating the Oneonta Octane 121-111. Lloyd Parkman scored 17 points in that game, pulled down five rebounds, dished out five assists and was named the player of the game. Parkman and the Stallions will face the Elmira Eagles on Sunday.

 

 

Related Articles