Last season, the Kansas Jayhawks finished No. 161 in the nation, scoring just 75.1 points per game.
Last season also saw new KU transfer Dennis Parker Jr. score 53 points in a single game, the most in a DI game since 2019.
Sure, the Big South and the Big 12 are not like-for-like comparisons in terms of overall strength, but adding a scorer, the quality of Parker is a big get for Bill Self, who was in dire need of someone to fill up the box score.
Parker’s electric campaign at Radford
After experiencing a bit-part role in his two seasons at NC State, the former four-star Parker moved to Southwest Virginia, where he notched a stellar 18.3 points per game, 5.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.4 steals on a stellar 48.4% from the field.
Parker finished last season as a member of the All-Big South team as the Highlanders finished with a 16-16 overall record and a quarterfinal finish in the Big South Tournament.
Parker entered the portal ranked as the No. 159 recruit and No. 23 small forward.
Bill Self calls Parker, “one of the better scorers in the country”
"At Radford, Dennis proved that he was one of the better scorers in the country," Self said via a press release earlier Monday.
Parker’s 18.3 points tied him No. 79 in the country in points per game.
"He's a more than capable shooter, with range. He's got great size and anybody that can get 53 in a division one game, certainly has potential to get hot and carry a team in stretches. We're very excited add him to the mix."
Where will Parker play next season?
While Kansas’ starting five is still in flux, Parker’s positional versatility means he can slot in both as a shooting guard and as a small forward. However, with the Jayhawks adding 2026’s No. 1 recruit Tyran Stokes to the fold, who naturally is a small forward, means Parker would likely see the most time as a shooting guard, filling in the positional gap currently held by soon-to-be sophomore Kohl Rosario.
If there is one glaring worry about Parker's game, it would be his turnover frequency. Parker managed 72 giveaways last season, with a season-high of seven in a loss against High Point towards the latter end of the campaign.
As a matter of fact, Parker only completed four games last season without committing a single turnover, and he averaged 2.3 per game overall.
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