Emilio Parks never set out in pursuit of individual achievements or awards. He merely wanted to leave his mark upon the now-9-year-old Lakeside basketball program by being a winner.

He has been a winner. And along the way, the individual achievements are taking care of themselves.

On Friday night, Parks scored 28 points in a 60-48 Lakeside win over South to surpass the 1,000-point plateau for his career. He entered the game with 988 points and crossed the 1,000-point barrier with 34.1 seconds to play in the second quarter on a free throw.

“It’s special to me because I’m leaving my mark with a milestone,” Parks said. “I’ll have left high school as the first to do something. The best record in Lakeside history would be great for me. To lead the team to the best record in school history is what I want.

“I want to do something for the team. But this is really special for me, too.”

“I’m happy for him,” Lakeside coach Rob Pisano said. “We don’t win many games without Emilio. Lakeside basketball wouldn’t be where it is without Emilio. He’s made a heck of a statement with the number of wins he’ll have in his career. In three varsity years, he’ll probably win close to 45 games.

“Nothing he’s done has been for individual awards. It hasn’t been about him at all. Somebody told him the other night he was getting close (to 1,000 points). He didn’t realize it. He’s an unselfish guy. His goal for the season was to set the Lakeside record for wins, and some wins in the sectional and district tournaments. He didn’t really realize he was close to 1,000 points. It’s nice for a guy like that, who wasn’t shooting for it, to achieve it.”

Parks, the son of John and Tyra Michaels, is the first boy to reach 1,000 points in a Lakeside uniform. He currently stands at 1,016 points in a little more than two and a half varsity seasons.

“Everyone who has watched the team the last three years has seen Emilio develop into what he has,” Pisano said. “I don’t care what anybody says, you don’t get better from November to March. You get better from March to November. He really worked hard in the offseasons to be a special player.”

As a senior, Parks is averaging 22.1 points per game. He entered the season with 690 points.

“I tell him every night that every night is his night,” Pisano said. “I tell him we’ve got to have his 16 to 25 points and 15 rebounds and everyone else will follow suit. He knows he’s got to have 17-20 points for us to win.

“As bad as he wants to win, that’s a lot of pressure. If he doesn’t have 20, it’s hard for us to win because of all the young players we have on the roster.”

“It’s not really easy to do what I’ve done,” Parks said. “Scoring every night and leading the team in scoring every night. Every time I time touch the ball, my teammates feel I can score at will. They feel that and keep getting me the ball, so I keep scoring.

“I try my best. I try and think, use my arms and be tall. To score, I use my head. I try not to worry about what the defense is doing. That’s what keeps me a threat to the other team.”

The forward really didn’t know he was close to the mark until just recently.

“I really didn’t know,” Parks said. “People were talking to me about it, asking if I knew how many (points I needed) and how far (from 1,000) I was. I didn’t even know people were keeping track.

“There were some big people who have been here before and haven’t reached 1,000 points. It’s a big experience for me. It’s a big achievment.”

Parks has scored in just about every way possible this season to reach the milestone. He has dunked, scored on putbacks, taken passes with his back to the basket and scored, driven the lane, made free throws and hit jumpers from short range, mid range and long range. He has even made a number of 3-pointers.

“That’s exactly what he’s done every game,” Pisano said. “Every game, he has two or three 15-footers, three rebounds for easy putbacks and two or three dunks. He’s done that himself. He’s worked on his game in the offseason to become a shooter and a ballhandler.

“He was strictly an inside guy. He’s slowly transformed himself into a nice small forward – somebody that can handle the ball and shoot.”

“Coach has been talking to me ever since my freshman year about being an all-around player,” Parks said. “I always have the green light. He always lets me shoot, unless it’s in bad times. He tells me to look to shoot.

“There’s so much pressure inside. As a more experienced player, I can score inside at will. But teams see me score inside. I need to be a double threat and score outside, too.

“(Coach Pisano) has helped me with that. We shoot 200 times every morning. We take 50 3-pointers, take free throws and shoot inside shots. All around, it helps my shooting game. It helps me to be able to shoot from anywhere. I’ve been doing it since my freshman year. I’m a player that can shoot inside and play outside. It’s hard for other schools. They’re asking, ‘How’s he going to play tonight?’ I mix it up every night.”

But none of it is possible without teammates putting him in position to shoot.

“I played so long with a point guard who had experience. (Fred Spikes, who graduated last year) helped me get shots. He distributed it and created shots. He would penetrate and the defense would come to him. The guy defending me would go to help on him. He’d get it to me and it was easier to score.”

Now, Parks is the helping to create shots for his younger teammates.

“If they double me, I can create shots for everyone else,” Parks said. “I’ve been doing that a lot. I still score, but people feel they should double me to keep me from scoring. Then I can create for the other guys.”

Despite being able to score in every way, there’s one that Parks enjoys far more than the rest. And it has nothing to do with range.

“Obviously, for me, it’s to go up and look above the rim,” Parks said. “Dunking the ball gets the crowd hyped, it motivates me to play harder and it motivates the other guys to play harder.

“I feel more alive. If I’m tired and I dunk, I get refueled, more energized. A three at the end of a game and a dunk in the middle have the same vibe with the crowd. (The dunk in the middle of the game) gives everyone energy and they say, ‘It’s time to play now.’”

Dunking isn’t all about just pleasing the crowd for Parks. He knows it can have an impact on the momentum of a game.

“There are times we’re down and I break away for one,” Parks said. “We could be down 10 at the half and I come out of the half and dunk. It gets the crowd motivated and the players get motivated from the crowd. Then we make a big run. It changes a lot.”

And Parks wishes everyone could feel the power of throwing one down.

“When (teammate Cody) Blizzard did it, he was surprised,” Parks said. “He didn’t think he’d get it. I told him he’d do it.

“When you do it, you feel like a different player. On the court, you feel like you can do anything. I told (Blizzard), ‘When you do it, we go right behind you.’ Everyone wants to dunk now. They see what it does. I feel sorry for the short people who can’t dunk.”

Pisano has played a big role in Parks’ life and career. And Parks knows just how important that has been.

“(Coach Pisano’s) been real important in my life,” Parks said. “Coach told me he had a guaranteed spot for me when he first met me. I felt like I had to fight to stay here. My family was ready to move. I wasn’t. I was pushing to stay here.

“(Coach Pisano) is up there with the top three in my family. He’s been there for me. He’s taught me the right way. Like a family member, he’s never treated me wrong. He’s always treated me right. He’s been there for me.

“I know, no matter what happens in the future, he’s right there for me. He’s been very special in my life. He’s been a big impact on my life.”