Bio

After helping begin the athletics program in 2010, Chris Parker just completed his 13th season at ASU Mid-South after leading the Greyhounds to their tenth winning season in a row in 2022-23.  Their 25-12 overall record ended with their fifth NJCAA Region 2 Championship in the last seven years, a Region 2 Tournament Championship, a Central Plains District Championship and their second trip to the NJCAA National Tournament where they placed 8th in the nation. The Greyhounds are the winningest junior college program in the state of Arkansas over the last decade, having appeared in the Region 2 Tournament Championship game the last ten years in a row and winning six titles. But in perhaps the greatest statistic of all, the men's basketball program has seen 40 players move on to four-year colleges in the last 11 seasons.

The turning point came in the 2017-18 season as the Greyhounds posted a 29-6 record on the way to several program bests including a Region 2 title, the first District Championship in program history, and the program's first-ever trip to the NJCAA National Tournament, where the Greyhounds went 3-1 and placed 5th in the nation. The Greyhounds continued the streak in 2019-20, winning their fourth Region Championship in a row and combining for 146 wins in that 4-year span, an average of over 20 wins per season.

In addition to serving as Head Men's Basketball Coach, Parker leads ASU Mid-South as Athletics Director and Lead Instructor of the Health and Physical Education department. As Athletics Director, Parker oversaw the Greyhounds’ move in October, 2013, into the Glen F. Fenter Athletic Complex which features perhaps the most unique floor in the region: a custom-designed court with parquet flooring reminiscent of the old Boston Garden, all chair-back seating, luxurious locker rooms, athletic training room, classrooms and coaches offices. In another big move, he is responsible for the creation, development and maintenance of the athletic department's web site, ASUmidsouthsports.com, which most recently features the department's move to electronic ticketing for home games through HomeTown Ticketing as well as all home games being live-streamed via PrestoSports.

In addition to managing the department's social media presence, Parker also helped establish department infrastructure and a student-athlete preparatory program that includes mandatory study halls, free tutoring, character development sessions and team service projects. He developed ASU Mid-South’s first student-athlete handbook, and to help supplement the program's growing needs, the Greyhound Booster Club, known as "The Dog Pack", was established along with a corporate sponsorship program that has greatly enhanced the department's visability and support within the region.

In addition, Parker serves as NJCAA Region 2 Women’s Director which includes two-year colleges in Arkansas and Oklahoma, and on the national stage has served on several committees including the NJCAA Student-Athlete Academic Success Council, the NJCAA Division II Women's Basketball Committee, the NJCAA Division I Softball Committee, the NJCAA Tennis Committee, and is currently a member of the NJCAA Division II Oversight Committee.

Prior to ASU Mid-South, Parker coached 13 years at the collegiate level at Arkansas Tech University, Houston Baptist University, Texas Southern University, Jackson State University and Lubbock Christian University, serving as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at his last three stops.  Parker was a part of five conference championship teams during this time and appeared in four national tournaments, six conference tournament championship games and has coached over 20 student-athletes who went on to play professionally, including four former Greyhounds, and two others played in the NBA. He has also coached two players who have led the nation in scoring as well as a national rebounding champion. He has worked for two former Nolan Richardson assistants in Andy Stoglin (Jackson State University) and Ron Cottrell (Houston Baptist University) and coaches an uptempo brand of basketball.  At HBU, Parker helped the Huskies lead the nation in scoring twice, including one season averaging over 100 points per game.

Parker has also logged six seasons as a high school head coach, including 5 exceptional years at Central Arkansas Christian (CAC) in North Little Rock where he earned conference Coach of the Year honors three times while leading the Mustangs to three conference titles and two second-place finishes while competing in three different classifications. Before Parker’s arrival, the school had not won a conference title in a decade, had not had a winning season in five years, and had been to the state tournament only twice in the school’s history. During his tenure, the Mustangs qualified for postseason play all five years, appeared in the state tournament quarterfinals four times and earned a Final Four berth that capped the best season in school history.

As Sports Information Director, Parker designed, built and maintained the school's first-ever athletics web site that featured interactive content, images, video, and all team information for every sport in 7th-12th grades. He also created and directed the first Media Day for fall, winter and spring sports and researched and compiled the school's sports history. In addition, Parker reported and wrote stories for every varsity contest of every sport, served as the public address announcer at home football games, and served as assistant coach for a program that won the school's first and only softball state title.

The Friendswood, Texas, native earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Corporate Video with a minor in Business from Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas, and a Master’s degree in Sports Administration from Texas Tech University in Lubbock. In high school, Parker graduated from Bay Area Christian in League City and was named Athlete of the Year as the school's only five-sport letterman, earning All-State honors in football and All-Conference honors in football, basketball, baseball, and track while also lettering in golf. He is married to Dr. Brooke Parker, and the couple has three children, two bonus children, and one grandchild: son Hunter, a University of Memphis graduate, married to wife Courtney, with grandson, Charlie; daughter Kayla Halling, a proud graduate of Texas A&M University, married to husband, Jeremy; and daughter Amberlyn, a student at the University of Memphis.

PARKER BY THE YEAR:

 *Shortened season/games cancelled due to COVID