Liberty picked up a commitment on Thursday from Henderson State grad transfer Chris Parker, and he says it was an assist from a former Liberty player that helped seal the deal.
“I’m from Dallas, so I know Lovell (Cabbil),” Parker said in a phone interview. “I worked out with him, I know he played there. I contacted him, and he had nothing but good things to say about the school. You can say that (he got an assist in the recruitment process) because he definitely played a good part. If he would have said something bad, it would have been different, but he said nothing but good things. He was a big help.”
The 6’1″ guard committed to the Flames despite not being able to visit campus or meet with the coaching staff in person as the NCAA has a blackout period for in-person recruiting right now due to the ongoing COVID-19 virus. He says Liberty was one of the first schools to reach out to him after he entered the transfer portal just a couple weeks ago.
“I based my decision on the relationship I developed with Coach McKay and Coach Johnston,” Parker said. “It was a great feeling from the beginning. Everything pointed me towards (Liberty) as a good situation. I felt like this is going to be a good home for me.”
Parker helped lead Henderson State to the GAC Conference Tournament Championship and was named Tournament MVP. He averaged double figures all three seasons he was at the DII school, and is on track to graduate in May. He will be a graduate transfer and will be immediately available with one season of eligibility remaining. He chose Liberty over Cal Baptist, a member of the WAC.
“I’m a real capable playmaker,” Parker said of his strengths. “I have a high ability to make plays with the ball, and I pride myself on being a pretty good shooter. Every team can use a shooter and another play maker.”
This past season, he averaged 15.2 points, 3.4 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 42.7% from three point range.
“I knew a little bit about Liberty because of the (NCAA) Tournament run,” he said. “That’s one of the main things that attracted me to the school.”
Parker will fight for playing time in a backcourt that includes Darius McGhee and Elijah Cuffee as the Flames look to replace the likes of Caleb Homesley, Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz, Scottie James, and Myo Baxter-Bell.
“I feel like my story was finished at Henderson,” he stated. “We accomplished a lot. With me being able to graduate, I felt like it was time for me to embark on a new story, a new road. I want to be able to win, that’s my main thing, that’s what attracted me to Liberty, because of the winning tradition. I want to prove to myself that I’m able to play at this level and that I can win at this level.”
