Parker learned to work from home

Grant Parker became a college basketball prospect at Cherry Creek High School just outside of Denver.

He became a basketball player in Indiana.

Parker, a junior forward/center at Air Force, was born and raised in the basketball-obsessed state, and scenes from his youth could be spliced seamlessly into the classic movie "Hoosiers."

"It was kind of a lot like that," said Parker, who will help the Falcons try to end a two-game losing streak this afternoon against Norfolk State at Clune Arena. "Just really fundamental basketball."

On a court outside the blueberry farm owned by his mother and her two sisters, Parker got individual lessons from Bryce Drew - who went on to play at Valparaiso and make a buzzer-beating shot that remains one of the lasting images in the NCAA Tournament.

And he learned from playing against his cousins, one of whom, Erik Rhinehart, now plays professionally in Europe.
Parker remembers a day in grade school when news spread that his cousin had made 299 consecutive free throws early that morning.

"It was kind of funny - random stuff like that made its way around the city," he said. "I was walking around, bragging. It was a real small-town atmosphere."

Parker said he probably lost some of the fundamentals that define Indiana basketball players when he moved to Colorado between seventh and eighth grade.

But he never forgot the lessons about the importance of practice and hard work.

"I think Indiana basketball kind of taught me what it's like to just work and get into the gym and spend extra hours doing stuff others aren't doing," he said. "I first started to develop the concept as a little kid that if you're not working, there's someone else out there who is."

Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds said Parker has worked diligently to improve his game - specifically his ball-handling and 3-point shooting.

"He's a young man that's really taken pride in getting bigger and stronger in the offseason," Reynolds said. "He put a lot of time in during the offseason."

Parker played only 70 minutes in 14 games as a freshman and sophomore but has emerged as the Falcons' most effective post player despite nagging shoulder injuries. He's averaging 8.4 points (fifth-best on the team) and 4.2 rebounds (fourth-best), and he's made 16 of 20 free-throw attempts.

"Last year was when I kind of realized that, ‘Hey, junior year is coming up, it's my chance, I've waited my turn,'" Parker said. "My goal was to not just play but actually contribute to the team and make a difference."