Southland Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)
By Joey Loose
4. Jacob Parker
Parker is a 6’6 wing from Bixby, Oklahoma who did very solid work in Stephen F. Austin’s frontcourt in the early 2010’s. Arriving on campus in 2011, he had already played two decent seasons when Brad Underwood took over in 2013. Suffice to say, Parker continued to play excellent basketball under the new head coach during a prosperous era in Nacogdoches.
His contributions would actually take a big step forward as a junior, as he’d average 14.2 points and 7.1 rebounds a game, nearly doubling his production as a sophomore. Not only would the Lumberjacks win the Southland, but Parker scored 22 points in their NCAA Tournament upset over VCU, their 32nd and final win of the year. The Lumberjacks were back in the Big Dance again the following year, with Parker putting up 13.9 points a game, including a 30-point outing against Houston Baptist late in the season.
Consider that junior season, where Parker was instrumental in a Tournament upset and also happened to be named Southland Player of the Year. He was one of the league’s top shooters in the tail end of his career and made major contributions as Stephen F. Austin won 61 games in those last two seasons. Parker factored into that success and proved to be a very talented piece for the Lumberjacks.