WALTERBORO, S.C. – Combo guard Darcy Pares of Port Macquarie, Australia, has signed a letter of intent to play men's basketball next season at two-time NJCAA Region 10 champion USC Salkehatchie.
Pares becomes the second newcomer for USC Salkehatchie Head Coach Matt Lynch, who took over the program in December 2022. Salkehatchie has already signed wing Daniel Poelsma of Melbourne, Australia, making Darcy the second Aussie to join the program.
The 6-foot, 5-inch, 184-pound Pares played in the National Basketball League 1 (NBL1) last season for the North Gold Coast Seahawks. The NBL1 is a semi-professional league in Australia designed to help develop future professional players. In the five games that Pares played 10+ minutes, he averaged 6.2 points and 2.0 rebounds, while shooting 32% from behind the arc.
"Darcy and I have a very unique origin story. I was watching film on a different recruit and in my study of that recruit, I discovered Darcy. The effort that he played with and the fact that he has such great size for a guard immediately caught my attention," said Lynch. Following a conversation over Instagram, the player and coach were able to connect via a phone call and build a relationship."He competes on both ends of the court and has an infectious personality. We can't wait to get started with him."
Coach Luke McGuire, who is the NBL1 head coach for the North Gold Coast Seahawks, coached Pares last season. “Darcy is a great kid with lots of potential. His athleticism allows him to be a threat offensively along with a great finishing package. He brings energy to every practice, every game regardless of his performance and is a great culture guy," said McGuire. "Darcy will fit in the college system extremely well and North Gold Coast wishes him all the best."
Pares plans to compete in the NBL1 throughout the summer and is returning to play with the North Gold Coast Seahawks for his second season. He will report stateside in August later this year.