NC State’s Dennis Parker Jr. is Cleared for the Final Four

NC State Freshman Guard/Forward Dennis Parker Junior has been cleared to play, and will be suiting up for the Wolfpack against Purdue tomorrow night.

Parker Jr. hasn’t played since March 4th, when he played 3 minutes against Duke. As a result of having mono, the True Freshman has missed the past 10 games.

Early in the season, Parker Jr. was a prominent feature in the Wolfpack’s game plan. He even started in 12 games (basically December-January).

As the season progressed, Parker Jr.’s role progressively diminished. After playing 10+ minutes in 19 of the first 20 games, he only played in 10+ minutes in 1 of the last 9 games he played in.

One of the strengths of NC State’s run in the postseason has been a more solidified rotation, which has built consistency. As a result, I’m not so sure that receiving clearance to play will equal playing time for Parker Jr. tomorrow night.

With that being said, having the ability to throw Parker Jr. on the court in the contest gives the Wolfpack another depth piece in a game that could see (hopefully not) NC State flirt with foul trouble.