Parrish prepares for final high school season

Sololiya Ebba | The Chronicle

When the Mason Comets take the court on Friday, November 22 against Lakota West, it will be the beginning of the end. It will mark the beginning of Madie Parrish’s senior and final season as a Mason Comet. 

 This career flaunts a freshman year state championship appearance, multiple Greater Miami First-Team titles, more Division I offers than countable on one hand and recognition as one of the top three offensive players in the GMC. Five-year-old Madie Parrish, a little girl with big dreams, flaunting her neon socks, never saw this coming. 12 years later, she embarks on her last season as a Comet.

Shocking to none, Parrish is no stranger to the spotlight. Starting on varsity since her freshman year, she has been a significant factor in the Mason Girls Basketball team’s astounding 76-8 record in three seasons. Not only averaging over 16 points per game, Parrish is a dynamic player, leading the GMC in assists with an average of three per game. On the defensive end, she averages 2.1 steals and 4.2 rebounds per game.

This season will likely hold even greater achievements for Parrish. Tipping off her senior season, she is the team’s starting point guard, and there is no doubt her success will continue.

“Every year, my goal is to win state, or at least play as long as we can,” Parrish said. “I also want to soak in senior year. I still remember freshman year when we made it to state, and I definitely want to get back there.”

In the fall of 2025, Parrish will be a freshman once again. This time, it will be at West Virginia University, marking the completion of an aspiration she has held for years: playing Division I basketball just like the women she watched on her television at home.

Still, no road is straight, and even the most talented athletes hit a bump from time to time. Sometimes love for the game is not enough to drown out the hard days, the sad moments or physical fatigue. Athlete burnout is a shared experience for many players, in all sports. In a study conducted at a Division I university in the Southeastern United States, results indicated that female basketball athletes had the highest levels of burnout. 

“My family and my coaches are my biggest support group,” said Parrish. “My AAU coaches, Matula, Dudgeon and even my parents were my coaches too back when I was younger. [On those days,] I have to remember that my end goal is bigger than what’s happening now, so I need to persevere.”

Throughout the recruiting process, Parrish looked to her support group for guidance. Whether it was opinions on schools from her coaches or moral support from her parents, these are the people who steered her back on course when life tried to go the other way.

“Sometimes it’s stressful having to remember that I have a brand that I need to represent,” said Parrish. “I have to be careful with everything I do, while also staying in contact to keep my recruiting process going. I just have to try and remember that I’m still a high schooler, too.”

College scouts look for more in an athlete than what is on paper. There is no question that a sought-after player like Parrish has astonishing stats and remarkable talent. Coaches want to know what they can not see from the stands. Having coached over 25 athletes who have gone on to play college basketball, Coach Dudgeon is aware of what makes a player fit to play at the next level.

“Madie is a competitor,” said Dudgeon. “She’s going to come in and fight and scrap and earn everything that she wants to try and achieve, and [coaches] enjoy that about her. I think her desire to win and to make her teammates better is one of her best qualities.”

In Parrish’s eyes, her basketball career extends well beyond her college years. 

“I just want to play until I can’t,” said Parrish. “There are different levels. I feel like I’ve been trying to slowly work my way up. I’m a senior now, and next year I’ll be playing in college. So then, the next goal would be to make it to the WNBA and play professionally.”

Although her path after senior year is full of excitement and fresh opportunities, Parrish emphasizes her love for the Mason Girls Basketball program and the support they have shown her for the past four years. Nicknames for freshmen, ‘Music Fridays’ and senior traditions are just some of the things Parrish is looking forward to in her final high school season. 

When Madie Parrish hangs up her jersey for the last time at the end of this season, she will likely go down as one of the best basketball players Mason High School has seen. 

To five-year-old Madie, running around in neon socks, just trying out basketball for the first time: the future is bright.

“If I could say anything [to her], I would tell her that we aren’t wearing the neon socks anymore.” Parrish said. “We’ve upgraded our wardrobe. And I would tell her to keep going because, at the end of the day, it all pays off.”