Kansas Jayhawks transfer Dennis Parker Jr. has spoken out for the first time since the announcement of his transfer was made through his own social media pages. On Thursday, May 7, the now-former Radford Highlanders guard confirmed on On3 that he is transferring to coach Bill Self’s Kansas Jayhawks for the 2026-27 season. This will be Parker’s fourth year of college basketball, and he comes right after just one season at Radford.
Parker is known as a great scorer, as he has shown flashes of a polished skill set, scoring at all three levels. This is evidenced by his 53-point explosion back in mid-December last year, which became the most any player in D1 college hoops has scored since 2019. But Parker recently admitted that he loves defense more than offense and hopes to bring that same energy to the Jayhawks, as he said during a recent interview on the Field of 68.
“Two-way, two-way dog, honestly. I love defense like, I really love defense more than offense. Before I was good at offense, I had to be good at defense. So, I mean, you know, just coming from you, once again, like team-loaded. Like, we based on just pride and just energy. So, like, I’m just bringing all the energy, like all the dogness in. When it comes to offense and stuff like that, man, I just, you know, get to it. Like, you know, I get to it,” Parker shared. (0:23)
Parker’s arrival to the Kansas-based program comes just days after the top recruit from the high school class of 2026, Tyran Stokes, committed to the team. Coach Self will now have the luxury of two top-tier scorers next season, especially since spitfire scorer Darryn Peterson has already declared for the NBA Draft this year. The Jayhawks are looking to improve on their second round finish in the 2026 NCAA tournament.
Dennis Parker Jr. also shared what he is currently working on this offseason in terms of offense
Even with his aforementioned 53-point outing in the recently concluded season, Parker believes that he still has a lot to work on with his game. Later on his guest interview on the Field of 68, the Richmond, Virginia native shared what he is currently working on this offseason. Parker is focused on improving how he reads ball screens when it comes to finding more ways to score.
“ I get to it. I shoot, I dribble. I shoot. So, you know, I’m still working on a couple things, you know, in terms of, like, ball screen reads and stuff like that, just ’cause I don’t got, like, super experience in that spot. But, you know, I just score the ball. Like, I get to the rack. Like, I dunk on you and, you know, I create, you know, open opportunities for my teammates. If I draw two, I kick it out. Like, I ain’t no, I ain’t no selfish individual,” Parker said. (0:55)
“Like, yeah, I score, but, you know, I can get off the ball as well, so,” he continued.
Also Read:
Amid Questions Around Tyran Stokes, Bill Self’s Kansas Gets Some Respite in the Transfer Portal
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