NC State freshman guard Trey Parker spearheads glimpse into offensive growth in Duke loss

Before NC State freshman guard Trey Parker laced up his pink and black Adidas shoes to face off with No. 2 Duke inside Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday night, Wolfpack associate head coach Kareem Richardson came to him with a simple message.

“Bring that Fayetteville mentality,” Richardson told the Pack’s reserve point guard. 

Parker, who grew up just more than 90 miles away from the famed gym he was set to play in for the first time with NC State, was known to be an electric scorer in high school. He could pour shots into the bucket from all three levels, while also building a reputation as a tenacious defender. 

And in a game where the Wolfpack’s depth was going to be tested against the nation’s No. 2 team, Parker was going to be a key cog in the team’s success. While it was thought to be his defense and playmaking for others that would lead to points, it turned out to be Parker’s jump shot that did the talking. 

The 6-foot-1 guard scored a career-best 15 points on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting, including a 3-of-4 effort from beyond the arc in NC State’s 74-64 loss at Duke. 

Parker, who entered the night with just five made three-pointers (on 23 attempts for a 21.7 percent mark) this season and 14 combined points over his last 11 appearances, was able to change the way the Blue Devils defended the Pack on the perimeter. Duke was expecting drives into the paint from NC State’s guards, including Parker, but instead he stretched the floor. 

It didn’t take long for that to happen, either. He hit a three-pointer after just 48 seconds of playing time, while he was able to knock down four straight jumpers in the second half, including two more triples. 

Duke head coach Jon Scheyer was astonished at the poise and outside shooting Parker brought to the floor. 

“He changed NC State’s offense a lot,” Scheyer said postgame with a grin as he talked inside the Blue Devils’ media room. “He was, holy smokes. He was quick. The way he was shooting it was a little bit different. … He’s good. I was really impressed with what he did tonight.”

Parker was a microcosm of NC State’s growth on offense against Duke, especially in the first half. The Wolfpack turned in a 48.4 percent clip from the field, including seven made threes, in the opening 20 minutes. 

It was a step forward for a team that entered the game with just a 29.1 percent mark from three-point distance. The Wolfpack finished the game 10 of 22 (45.5 percent) from deep, which marked just the third time this year it was above 40 percent — all on the road (40.0 percent at Kansas and 42.1 percent at Virginia Tech). And it wasn’t really anything NC State changed from what it has done over its previous four losses during this losing streak, rather it just had shots find the bottom of the net. 

“I know we haven’t shot it well, but I feel like we are a good shooting team,” senior guard Dontrez Styles said. “Tonight, we showed we can shoot the ball. We just haven’t shot it well at home, for some odd reason, but it’s going to continue to get better.”

The Wolfpack logged 10 assists on its first 15 made baskets wtih ball movement providing wide-open looks for NC State’s shooters. Styles was a beneficiary of two of those, while Parker was able to hit both open and contested looks as he cruised. 

Parker began the game making his first six shots, oozing confidence in the process. He didn’t feel as though anything changed throughout the game, rather he was looking to “compete” against the Blue Devils, who are easily the best team in the conference. 

Parker would be remiss if he didn’t believe fellow freshman guard Paul McNeil’s spark-plug performance against SMU just two days before wasn’t a driving force in his desire to be an energy piece for NC State at Duke. 

“It was really an inspiration to me,” Parker said. “Seeing the freshmen get on the court and do what they do … It’s just the love of the game, like loving a brother.”

Parker is the latest NC State freshman to show flashes of his potential this season. McNeil logged 8 points with 3 rebounds and 3 assists in the Wolfpack’s loss to the Mustangs, while reclassified freshman Bryce Heard has been able to impact winning on the defensive end on a consistent basis. 

That was a positive growing point for Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts, who noted NC State needed the freshman trio to step up in ACC play because Louisville transfer Mike James has yet to play a game this season.

“I’m getting really excited about our young guys,” Keatts said. “It’s taken them a little while to come into their own. Paul showed some moments last game, and we got Trey Parker and Bryce. All three of those guys are really working hard. … Those guys are starting to contribute.”

NC State’s offense showed positive steps forward in the opening half — it shot just 32.1 percent with a 3-of-10 mark from deep in the waning 20 minutes — and Parker was pivotal in that. 

He seemed as if he was playing in his hometown gym with his fearless attitude of taking nearly any shot he wanted to on the perimeter.

“Big environments don’t really faze me,” Parker said. “Coming here, it was just like another game.”

If that’s another game for Parker, just wait until he’s able to take his shooting to an even higher level with NC State. But for now, the boost in development he had against the Blue Devils is a positive sign for the Wolfpack moving forward.