Deneen Parker wasted little time putting her imprint on the Northwestern State women's basketball staff.
Under Parker's tutelage, sophomore post Cheyenne Brown made tremendous strides in her all-around game while fellow sophomore forward Libba Gilliam became an inside-out weapon, showcasing a deft 3-point touch during conference play.
After spending two decades at SMU, Parker's transition to the NSU bench was a smooth one, aided by familiarity with head coach Jordan Dupuy.
Parker's and Dupuy’s relationship dates to their time as Conference USA rivals at SMU and Southern Miss, respectively.
“Deneen and I go way back from our Conference USA days,” Dupuy said. “The thing that always stuck out to me was her personality and her aura to attract people to her and to the SMU program. She was always a great recruiter, especially in the state of Texas. I think she’s going to be a great fit for our staff, for our girls and especially for me with her being the associate head coach.
“I’ll be able to bounce ideas off her, and she will be able to help me in my first head coaching endeavor, which is a plus.”
Parker was part of five NCAA Tournament teams while on Rhonda Rompola’s staff at SMU, helping the Mustangs reach the Big Dance in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2008. With Parker on staff, SMU captured regular-season championships in the Western Athletic Conference (2000) and Conference USA (2009, 2013).
SMU’s 1999 WAC Tournament championship was the program’s first as was the Mustangs’ 2000 regular-season title.
During her 21 seasons with the Mustangs, Parker burnished her reputation as a standout recruiter, eventually taking over as SMU’s recruiting coordinator.
Parker’s college roots began in the Southland Conference when she played four years at Stephen F. Austin, during which time she dueled with some of Northwestern State’s all-time greats including Joskeen Garner and Pam Hudson.
She was a two-time Southland Conference Player of the Year and a two-time District VI Kodak All-American while helping lead the Ladyjacks to four straight SLC titles and NCAA Tournament appearances.
Parker was part of the gold-medal winning team at the 1991 U.S. Olympic Sports Festival and played professionally for six months in Luxembourg and Germany.
Parker was inducted into Stephen F. Austin’s Hall of Fame in 2010. She is a 1994 graduate of SFA in communications with a minor in marketing.
