On Nov. 9, NC State’s men’s basketball head coach Kevin Keatts announced that four-star prospect for the class of 2023 Dennis Parker Jr. signed with NC State’s basketball team for the 2023-24 season.
Parker Jr., a class of 2023 basketball player, recently made it official that he will be wearing an NC State jersey in his college basketball debut. This four-star wing attended John Marshall High school in Richmond, Virginia, starting his freshman year on the varsity squad and tacked on impressive stats year after year.
After receiving offers from Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Georgetown, Illinois, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri and countless others; NC State stood as the final choice for Parker, who looks like a great addition to the program. He’s a proven winner and plays his heart out on both sides of the ball.
“I think Dennis is one of the top two-way players in his class,” Keatts said. “He can score in a variety of ways offensively, either blowing by his man to get to the rim or knocking down the jumper if they play off of him, and defensively can really lock down and frustrate his opponent. He’s a willing defender. He has a lethal combination of athleticism and intelligence. He is a heady player that continues to get better every time I see him play. He’s an extremely gifted basketball player that has been developed by one of the top high school and AAU programs in the country.”
In his senior year, Parker averaged 19.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. Along with a solid stat line, he led John Marshall to a 22-4 record to cap off the season. Parker also led his team to Virginia’s D2 state championship where John Marshall notched a W in the championship bracket. Parker sent 24 points to the scoreboard for Marshall and pulled down 10 rebounds in the championship game, while hitting six of eight 3-pointers to win.
Not only did Parker make a splash in the high school basketball scene, he also played AAU basketball for Team Loaded. Starting off playing AAU basketball while only in the second grade, he towered over many of his teammates by seven or eight inches. Despite this obvious size advantage, Parker took on the task of learning to become a dangerous ball handler in his own development as a player, instead of simply sticking to a role of playing in the post.
According to 247Sports, this determination to learn how to handle the ball instead of staying in a post position, put Parker high in the rankings of many high school basketball players. Parker was rated at No. 85 overall on the national scale, and No. 3 in Virginia for the class of 2023.
The Pack community should definitely be excited to see a 6-foot-6 wing who can shoot from deep and finish around the rim and play for NC State next year.
