CLEVELAND, Ohio – Reigning Horizon League Coach of the Year Dennis Gates has announced the addition of transfer guard Deshon Parker to the team's 2021-22 roster.
"I'm very excited to welcome Deshon to our men's basketball family," said Dennis Gates. "Deshon brings a wealth of experience to our program and will be an instrumental piece to achieving our team goals of being successful in the classroom, on the court and in our community."
Parker began his collegiate career at James Madison University from 2018-20, appearing in 63 games (48 starts) for the Dukes, averaging 7.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 30.4 minutes per game.
During the 2019-20 season, Parker poured in a career-high 23 points on two separate occasions in back-to-back outings (Feb. 6 at Drexel, Feb. 8 at Delaware). He appeared, and started, in all 30 contests that season, averaging a career-best 10.0 points per game, in addition to a career-best 4.0 assists and 2.8 rebounds. As a freshman, the newest Viking became just the fifth freshman in JMU history to rack up 100 assists (3.0 per game), while committing just 38 turnovers.
Following the 2019-20 season, Parker transferred to Appalachian State, where the 6-4 guard appeared in 21 games (14 starts), aiding the Mountaineers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2000.
In total, Parker has appeared in 84 collegiate contests (62 starts), averaging 6.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 27.0 minutes.
As a senior at Wayne High School, the Huber Heights, Ohio, native was named to the All-Southwest District Third Team after averaging 14.2 points, in addition to being a member of the Honor Roll.
Cleveland State will welcome fans back to the Wolstein Center this fall, with season ticket packages starting at just $60. Fans are encouraged to become a season ticket member by visiting csuvikings.com, calling the ticket office at 216-687-4848, or emailing vikingathletics@csuohio.edu. Full 2021-22 schedule details will be released this summer.
