Prospect Spotlight: Endigo Parker 2021
One of the most intriguing basketball prospects in all of Southern California is Endigo Parker of Troy High School in Fullerton, CA. Parker is 6-foot-5 and has a bit of an old school game compared to how today’s game has…
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Continue ReadingOne of the most intriguing basketball prospects in all of Southern California is Endigo Parker of Troy High School in Fullerton, CA.
Parker is 6-foot-5 and has a bit of an old school game compared to how today’s game has changed and evolved. She’s a throwback player, a big who likes to play in the paint and play physical. But she has some versatility as well, she can step out and shoot the ball from the midrange.
Although she’ll be entering her junior season at Troy, she’s already garnered the attention of a few Division 1 schools. She currently holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky, and she has heard from Dixie State, LIU Brooklyn, and Oklahoma State.
She’s still got a while to go before her high school career comes to an end, but she knows what she’s going to be looking for both on and off the court when it comes to choosing a college.
“I’m looking for guards that give posts the ball, players sharing the ball, and good teamwork,” Parker told Prep Girls Hoops. “Also, I’m looking for good food and a nice dorm, a nice living space.”
Parker spent this summer playing with West Coast Elite, one of the top programs on the AAU circuit. While she was able to work on her on-court talent, her time with West Coast Elite really benefitted her in that she was able to improve on the mental aspects of basketball as well.
She admitted that sometimes she needs to be reminded that basketball is a team game, and this summer, her AAU experience really drove that point home.
“It’s not all about you, you have to share the ball,” Parker admitted. “It helped me learn more about teamwork.”
Earlier this month, Parker was among a select group of high school basketball players that were selected to participate in the Strickly Gurlz Media camp. The camp featured a little over 40 players mostly from the Southern California area.
Players were comprised of each class from 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and even some 2024s.
The first half of the camp, players were split up into four different stations, each focusing on a specific aspect of the game. One station was for dribbling, one for post play, one for agility, and one for scoring/shooting.
While she is mainly a post presence, Parker appreciated being able to work on other parts of her game in order to become a more well-rounded player.
“It’s going to help me get in shape and develop more skill with my post moves,” Parker said. “I like how they had a station for every skill, for guards, for posts, for everybody. It helped me with everything.”
In today’s game, traditional post play seems like it’s being phased out at times. Bigs who can play an all-around, versatile game are much more in demand. But that doesn’t mean that an old school back to the basket player isn’t still a good weapon to have.
Parker presents a very realistic matchup problem for many high school teams. Not many schools have personnel capable of countering her combination of size and skill. To her, it’s still crucial to have a back to the basket game and be able to get easy buckets in the paint.
“I try to be aggressive, push on them, lean on them, set myself up. It’s very important,” Parker said. “That’s what I play, that’s what I mainly focus on and that’s what I practice is the post area.”
She does recognize though the need to improve on other aspects of her game, especially to make herself more marketable for college coaches. One of the main problems with young post players and posts, in general, is their tendency to rush shots in the paint rather than slow down and establish position while still being decisive.
Parker already is a pretty solid scorer in the post, but she understands that a few of the key areas in terms of her development will be her patience in the post and her ability to establish good position before making a move.
“My strengths would be jumpers and hook shots,” Parker said. “I can improve definitely on footwork and patience. You don’t have to rush, you have all the time that you need.”
And with two more years of high school basketball remaining, Parker understands that this upcoming season is going to be a big one for her. It will set the tone for the remainder of her high school career.
“I want to kind of just show out. It’s junior year, this is a big year,” Parker said. “Colleges are looking so I kind of want to step up my game.”