NC State guard Dennis Parker Jr. will be available off bench for Final Four
GLENDALE, Ariz. — NC State freshman guard Dennis Parker Jr. found himself yelling at the television as he watched the ACC Tournament from his parents’ house in Richmond, Va., in early March.
Parker, a promising young guard, missed the Pack’s regular season finale at Pittsburgh and conference tournament with an illness. It was not what he would have liked to do, but Parker did not travel with the squad for those games to look out for his teammates.
“It was painful for me,” Parker said of watching the ACC Tournament on TV. “I was watching from home. It was a tough decision to make, but I felt like I had to separate myself just for my team’s health. But I was still supporting the guys.”
Parker made the drive up I-95 to watch NC State beat Duke in the quarterfinals and saw it win the ACC Tournament title that Saturday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
After that, he was back on the road with the Wolfpack. Parker traveled to the first two weekends of the NCAA Tournament, practicing with the team has he worked his way back from illness.
Now, the 6-foot-6 first-year player will be available for NC State’s Final Four matchup with top-seed Purdue on Saturday night at State Farm Stadium. Parker was cleared to play by his doctor on Sunday, just 48 hours before the Wolfpack departed for Arizona.
While he was dressed in uniform during NC State’s open locker room availability Thursday, Parker wore a wide grin. He dreamed of playing in the Final Four and he will dress for it in his freshman campaign.
“I’m blessed,” Parker said. “Whether I play zero or 80 minutes, I’m blessed to be on the bench and be a part of this experience. It’s once in a lifetime. It’s the Final Four.”
Though Parker has not played in any of the Wolfpack’s last 10 games, he has been an integral part of its bench as a spectator. He has brought energy to the bunch waiting to be fully cleared to return to the court.
Junior forward Ben Middlebrooks raved about Parker.
“He’s awesome,” Middlebrooks said. “He’s a super good kid. He’s always positive, even if he’s not talking that much. He’s just a good dude.”
Parker has had a unique vantage point during the Pack’s historic run to the Final Four. He has been able to watch up close as it has stormed through the NCAA Tournament with what has appeared to be ease.
“It’s been great,” Parker said. “We had it in us the whole time. … But something just clicked with us and everything has been consistent, everything has been tightened up and this is why we’re on this run right now.”
Parker has appeared in 29 games this season, including 12 starts. The guard has averaged 4.7 points with 3.2 rebounds across 15.5 minutes on the floor a night. His role decreased once NC State reached ACC play, with just nine games with more than 10 minutes on the floor against conference opponents.
Though he had not seen the floor as much as he did earlier in the season, playing 10-plus minutes on a routine basis, Parker has been one of the Wolfpack’s top supporters. That did not change when he was out, and it will likely stay that way in the Final Four.
And now he is just trying to embrace the moment.
“I just feel like we just need to lock in one game at a time as a team and just take everything day by day,” Parker said. “We’re in Phoenix. … We worked for this and everything’s just a blessing. I’m just soaking it all in.”
