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NC State’s Dennis Parker Jr. turns in ‘confidence booster’ effort in win over Coppin State

image_6483441 (3)by:Noah Fleischmanabout 23 hours

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Dennis Parker Jr.
NC State guard Dennis Parker Jr.

It seemed like every couple days at practice, NC State sophomore guard Dennis Parker Jr. was dealing with a new sore ankle from turning it against his teammates. At least that’s what it felt like for Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts.

Parker ended up turning his ankles three times in the preseason, which led to the Wolfpack taking a cautious approach with him. The Pack went as far as trying nearly every Adidas shoe in the equipment room to keep his ankle stabilized — and to allow the wing to stay on the court. 

NC State settled on the Adidas D.O.N. Issue #6 Haribo mid-top shoes for Parker. Those seemed to do the trick in Wolfpack’s 66-56 win over Coppin State at Reynolds Coliseum on Tuesday night. 

Parker, who hadn’t played more than 20 minutes in his ramp up through the first nine games, scored a season-best 10 points on an efficient 4-of-6 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers. He added four rebounds with two assists to help provide an energy boost off the bench. 

“It’s been a process. I had to stay patient,” Parker said afterwards. “I’m still getting back healthy. It’s about time with the ankle thing. It’s a tough process to recover off of, but I feel like I’m finally getting back comfortable with the flow of the game.”

Parker checked in less than three minutes into the game as Keatts was looking for a lift from his reserves. He provided that with a quick steal to inject life into a sluggish start for NC State’s offense, which fell behind early after the Pack missed its first 10 shots of the game. 

The Richmond, Va., native kicked off the scoring with a tip-in shortly after in his first shift on the floor. When he returned to action towards the end of the first half, Parker was able to hit a 3-pointer with ease from the top of the key before he dished an assist and gathered his second offensive rebound. 

Parker capped his lightning in a bottle first half of action with a trey at the halftime buzzer to send NC State into the locker room with momentum up 7 following the ugly first 10 minutes of the game. 

The two made 3-pointers brought a smile to Parker’s face — both on the floor and in the postgame press conference. For good reason, too. He was just 12-of-39 from deep last season, a year that was cut short due to battling mononucleosis for the Wolfpack’s entire run to the Final Four, and distance shooting was a priority for him this offseason. 

The early returns are somewhat positive with four made triples this season, including the 2-for-3 effort against Coppin State. 

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“I’ve been practicing on that shot the whole summer, so I feel like my work is paying off,” Parker said. “It’s a confidence booster for sure.”

While Parker donned a grin after his best showing of the young season, his addition to the lineup isn’t just a positive on the offensive end, but it is palpable on the defensive half of the floor as well. The 6-foot-6 wing provides immense length at the three spot for the Wolfpack, which has dearly missed Louisville transfer Mike James on the defensive end for that reason. 

Getting Parker back on the court is a step in the right direction for the Wolfpack’s defense as James still recovers from a preseason knee scope. Keatts noted the Pack still does not have a timetable for James’ return, though he is doing individual work at practice. 

“[Parker] gives us something at his size that we don’t have out there without a Mike James,” Keatts said. “We were without Mike James with length and also Dennis, so we became really small on our perimeter.”

As Parker continues to work his way back to 100%, which he looked a lot closer to being against Coppin State than in any other game this season, NC State will take an efficient and impactful performance like he turned in every night moving forward. 

Parker’s frustration from battling the minor ankle injuries has turned into a sense of joy on the basketball court. That, in turn, has led to success for the former four-star recruit and the Pack as a unit at the same time. 

“I thought Dennis Parker Jr. came in and gave us a tremendous lift,” Keatts said. “It’s great just to see him get back out there and play.”

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