Jasper Parker plays for the Southwestern University in this 2014 photo of a Cesafi game.
(CDN FILE PHOTO)
After a brief hiatus back in his hometown in the United States, former Southwestern University (SWU) standout guard Jasper Parker is ready to give his basketball dreams another shot, this time with the reigning UAAP champions Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws.
Parker suited up for the Cobras back in 2014 and helped lead the Visayas powerhouse squad to the championship in a loaded backcourt that also featured Macmac Tallo.
But after academic issues forced the talented 5-foot-9 guard to sit out the 2015 season, Parker decided that his time in Cebu was through and headed back home to California.
Now, he finds himself in Morayta as he strives to make it to FEU’s varsity squad next season.
“Well, I mean I still have love for my Southwesterners but I just think that this choice will be better for me. I like the program and I know Coach Nash (Racela) is a great coach. The system that they run is definitely something I’m comfortable with and it’s actually pretty much the same plays that we would run in SWU but I just think the exposure would be better for me to make a name for myself,” said Parker in an exclusive talk with Cebu Daily News on Friday afternoon.
While Parker is already accustomed to transitioning from one place to another, he admitted that the language barrier is proving to be the biggest challenge for him this time around.
“Transition isn’t anything that I’m not used to already. The only thing I would say is different is the dialect that they speak here since I’m not around my Visayans anymore,” Parker shared with a laugh.
He also said that he honestly believed at first that he was not going to come back to the Philippines anymore, but the itch to reach the country’s professional league—the PBA—proved to be too stubborn not to scratch.
“I was there for a while and honestly I didn’t even think I was going to be coming back but in the back of my head I knew that this would be something that could possibly be a better future for me so I had to take the opportunity again before it wouldn’t be there for me anymore.”
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