Sonny Parker Youth Foundation

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IN THE SPORTLIGHT: Parker already making his mark at CSI

BY Mike Christensen - Times-News writer - September 08, 2009

Christian Parker hasn't yet played a game for the College of Southern Idaho. And even in offseason workouts, his performance sometimes lags as he shakes off the rust of a two-year church mission.

Still, his impact on the CSI men's basketball program is tangible.

"He's very composed and mature on the court," said CSI head coach Steve Gosar. "Christian will do anything that we need him to do on the court. He's a great teammate. The guys really love him, respect him. I'm happy as punch that he's here." Parker, the son of former NBA player Sonny Parker, spent a redshirt year at BYU-Hawaii before serving an LDS mission in Atlanta, Ga. He returned home to Chicago, Ill., last December and soon re-enrolled at BYU-Hawaii. But his desire to ultimately reach the NCAA Division I level led him to Twin Falls.

"I'm just at CSI trying to contribute anything I can to the basketball team and work as hard as I can so I can develop," said Parker, a 6-foot guard. Parker's father starred at Texas A&M before becoming a first-round draft choice of the Golden State Warriors. When his NBA career ended, the elder Parker established the Sonny Parker Youth Foundation, which provides educational, recreational and cultural enrichment programs for disadvantaged inner city youth from grades K-12. Sonny and his wife Lola have seven children, but have influenced the lives of thousands.

That's why Christian Parker said basketball ability isn't the most important thing he gained from his father. "A lot of his wisdom, a lot of the principles he lives by rubbed off on me," said Parker. But having a former NBA player as a father has to help on the court, right? "My dad's 6-(foot)-8 and had almost a 40-inch vertical. And I'm not too close to that," said Parker. When he chose CSI, Parker said some people cautioned him that LDS players fit in well on the court with the Golden Eagles but sometimes struggled to mesh with teammates otherwise. That's not true in this case.

"I was raised right there smack dab in the middle of the hood with them so I can relate to them really well," Parker said of his teammates, who he said are teaching him far more than he is them. The give-and-take attitude of the Golden Eagles, the leadership of Christian Parker, and the overall character of CSI's players are things Gosar loves about his current team. As for Parker, his desire to lift his teammates is a trait developed during his time in Atlanta.

"I fell in love with helping other people, teaching, helping people find answers, guiding people," he said. "I really realized that coaching is something that's always been an option for me, but I never paid much attention to it." For a season or two, Parker will aim to return the favor to teammates he said inspire him everyday. The players' desire, as Parker puts it: "Be like salt. Salt purifies and makes things taste better than what they are. Our group, everybody's really hungry. We're really hungry."

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