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Memphis Basketball: Tigers sign JUCO transfer Mike Parks Jr.

By Andrew Nostvick

Feb 7, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Tigers head coach Tubby Smith gestures from the sidelines during the first half against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 7, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Tigers head coach Tubby Smith gestures from the sidelines during the first half against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Memphis Tigers continue to build a solid recruiting class with the addition of Mike Parks.

Memphis Head Basketball Coach Tubby Smith continued to build a solid recruiting class with the official signing of junior college transfer Mike Parks Jr. on Wednesday morning.

Parks is the third JUCO transfer to join the Tigers this offseason. He is joined by first team all-Americans Kyvon Davenport and Kareem Brewton.

Parks made the decision to join the Tigers last week. He originally signed with New Mexico last November but received his release after the Lobos fired Head Coach Craig Neal.

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Parks played basketball at Southwest Mississippi Community College in Summit.

Parks finished third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.9 points per game. Additionally, he finished fifth in the NJCAA in shooting percentage with 70 percent.

Much like Davenport, Parks serves as a solid post player that the Tigers certainly can use.

The good news for Smith is that Parks can step in immediately and make an impact for the Tigers.

Smith has done a solid job of recruiting players, all of this coming after the transfers of Dedric and K.J. Lawson, as well as Markel Crawford.

Thanks to the work of Smith, 247Sports ranked Memphis No. 1 in the AAC recruiting rankings for the class of 2017, ahead of SMU, Temple, and Cincinnati.

Memphis didn’t lose everyone. They still have both Jimario Rivers and Jeremiah Martin, both significant players for the Tigers.

Martin is the leading returning scorer for the Tigers as he averaged 10.3 points per game.

Additionally, Martin will love all the offensive options to distribute to. He finished fifth in the conference in assists with 4.4.

Next: Davenport signs with Memphis

Smith might have solved his problem with the departures by bringing in the talent. Now, he’ll need to help Memphis take a step forward this upcoming season and get back to the NCAA Tournament.