Wilson Signs to Play with Blinn College

By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter

GRAPELAND – Recent Grapeland High graduate Parker Wilson inked his name on a National Letter of Intent on Thursday, June 22 to play basketball for the Blinn College Buccaneers.

Wilson, who helped lead the Sandies’ basketball team to a state semifinals appearance earlier this year, spoke to The Messenger at the conclusion of the signing ceremony.

“I’m going to Blinn College in Brenham. They really called me out of nowhere and told me they had a spot down there for me to try and make the team. I talked it over with my family and it seemed like the best decision for me,” he said.

The All-State player and District 20-AA Co-MVP said he had also been recruited by Oklahoma Wesleyan University, but wanted to stay closer to home.

As a point guard for the Sandies this past season, Wilson played out of his natural position as a shooting guard. When asked if he was being recruited for the point, he indicated the Buccaneers ran a three guard offense where all three “… are asked to fill the lanes, if you don’t have the ball.”

“I figure I’ll be more of a shooting guard,” he added “but if I need to, I’m sure I can move over to play the point, as well.”

Questioned about what appealed to him about the Buccaneers’ program, Wilson indicated he liked the level of competition the team played against.

“They’re pretty good and they play against some pretty good teams like Angelina College and Tyler Junior College. I figured I might as well go try and help the program if I can. It’s also close to A&M,” he said.

Wilson said he hopes to transfer to Aggieland after his time at Blinn and hopes to become a physical therapist. While he said he currently didn’t plan on trying to play for the Aggies, he left that door open.

“Whenever God tells me I can’t play anymore, that’s when I’ll stop playing. It’s in His hands,” Wilson explained.

The two big assets Wilson feels he would bring to the Blinn campus are emotion and leadership.

“I plan on going 110 percent every game and every day in practice,” he said. “I need to get stronger and work on my quickness to play at the next level. I feel like my shot and my ball handling skills will be ok. I get to go bang with the big boys, now. They’re going to be a lot bigger than they were in high school.”

The newly minted Buccaneer added the increased level of competition will only aid in his development as a basketball player.

“When we played against teams like Fairfield, Argyle and some of the bigger schools this year, it helped us a lot. We may not have won all of the games, but it helped us develop and get better. Eventually, I’ll adapt to the environment and learn how to play against the higher level of competition,” Wilson indicated.

As far as the future of the Grapeland basketball program, Wilson said he expects the program  to remain in the top tier of teams throughout the state.

 

“Grapeland is going to have a basketball team for a very long time and it is going to be very good. Coach Earp, in his second year as the head coach, has already taken a team to state. We didn’t have as much talent as the team that went in 2014. They had unbelievable talent. We have great coaches, a great coaching staff and the fans here love basketball. The players start from a young age so, I believe Grapeland basketball will be good for quite a while,” he said.

Before Wilson left to join his family and friends, he gave some advice to players who aspired to continue their athletic careers at the next level.

“Work hard. I wish I had worked as hard all four years as I did my senior year. I regret that. If you put the work in, you can go anywhere as long as you keep your head on straight and keep your grades up. I’d also like to say thank you to the people of Grapeland for allowing me to come here and play. I moved from Slocum and everyone welcomed me and took me in,” he said.

Once Wilson left to celebrate the day’s event, Coach Cannon Earp was asked for his thoughts on the signing.

“It’s an accomplishment to have a kid go anywhere from school the size we are. It seems coaches automatically ask questions about if the kid can play because he’s from a 2A school. To have Parker be able to break through those kind of things is a big deal,” he said.

The coach said this should give his returning players and those coming up “…some motivation that you can overcome that small school stigma. Parker worked hard – and hopefully – they will see that and try to emulate it as they go forward.”

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].