Big Sky Basketball: In-depth look at Idaho State star big man Brayden Parker

Why you should know Braden Parker

Going out on a very sturdy limb and going to suggest that most of the readers at Busting Brackets have never watched Parker play. Many likely have not even heard of him as a player. That makes sense as the Idaho State Bengals are never going to be at the forefront of any basketball conversation. They play in the Big Sky and their games are usually later at night in the West Coast timeslot and are rarely if ever on National TV. Since that is the case let’s just fill you all in on how good Parker is.

Last season Parker had his best season in Pocatello when he averaged 12 points, 5 rebounds, a 1 assist. He was also able to add 1 steal and 1 block to his line every night. He was the best player for the Bengals almost every night. He also showed that he is extremely efficient he shot over 50% from the floor, 30% from deep, and 77% from the free throw line. There is not a coach in the country who would be disappointed in those numbers from a 6’8” forward.

Parker is never going to wow you with athleticism, and no one will ever claim that he is the most skilled player in the country. What he is though is a player with a high basketball IQ and a great work ethic who always wants to get better. He makes up for some of his deficiencies by playing extremely hard and being in the right place at the right time.

The Bengals big man has still yet to average 30 minutes per game and he has not been a consistent starter since the Covid season. Last year he only averaged 21 minutes a night and was still putting up numbers. The big man averaged nine shots per game in his limited time and Idaho State doesn’t like to put up a ton of threes every game. They like to work the ball inside and Parker is one of the best overall post players in the low major divisions. He will get the lion’s share of the touches when he is in the game because when Parker has a good game the Bengals are going to have a great chance to win every night.