Much hype surrounded Jasper Parker when he entered Far Eastern University a year ago. Moreover, questions lingered on whether he can find a spot in an already-stacked Tamaraws backcourt.
And the 5-foot-10 floor general has been a steady presence for the Tamaraws, posting norms of 8.3 points and 4.2 assists in his first 11 games.
“Kay Jasper naman, it’s not about his scoring, and he knows that. It’s the way he orchestrates everything for us. More than the scoring, parang bonus na lang ‘yun sa amin eh,” remarked first-year Tamaraws head coach Olsen Racela about Parker.
“The more important thing for us is the way he orchestrates the play for us, how he dictates the tempo, kung kailangan bumilis kami, kung kailangan bumagal kami, ‘yun ang value niya sa amin.”
The 23-year-old played his best game in an FEU uniform when his team needed it the most Sunday afternoon. In the Tamaraws’ 79-63 win over the UE Red Warriors that lifted them to solo fourth, Parker, a former SWU Cobra, showed every facet of his game, finishing with his personal UAAP-high of 18 points and eight assists.
His inspired outing was due to him having his family on the stands watching him for the first time in Manila.
“Yeah, I have to say I had a lot of inspiration today with my family here. We just needed to step up in the second half so I just felt like there had to be something done,” shared Parker, whose family is based in California.
His family will be here up until Friday, November 24. During that week, the league will be entering its final stage. Parker is hoping that the Tamaraws are still watching him play by then.
“My dad came around Friday by himself. The rest of the family came Saturday. They’ll be here until the 24th of November. Just in time for semis. Perfect timing,” he said.
“We have two games left and these are definitely big games for us. Hopefully, we get these wins for us to get to the Final Four.”
