MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The Middle Tennessee women's basketball team and head coach Rick Insell announced the addition of transfer Cheyenne Parker during the 2012-13 late signing period.
Parker will sit out this upcoming season due to NCAA rules after transferring from High Point of the Big South Conference. The forward will be eligible to join the team for the 2014-2015 campaign in which she will have one year of eligibility remaining.
"We're very excited about bringing Cheyenne on board," Insell said. "She has tremendous upside. This is a big pick up for Middle Tennessee and I am confident that she will get even better in her year remaining with us. Her size makes her a tremendous rebounder and she has proven to be a prolific scorer. We are excited that she is now a Blue Raider."
The Queens, N.Y. native arrives in Murfreesboro after a highly-lauded career with the Panthers in which she became known for her defensive prowess. Parker is the two-time reigning Big South Defensive Player of the Year, and led the nation with her 4.48 blocks per game last season.
The senior is only the fifth player in Big South history to record 1,000 career points (1,200) and rebounds (1,039). Parker garnered Big South All-Freshman team honors in her first year on campus in which she set High Point's single-season rebounding mark with 240 boards in 30 games.
She followed up her impressive freshman campaign with an encore performance that included Big South records in both rebounds (403) and blocked shots (121), while adding second team All-Big South honors to her resume and her first of two Defensive Player of the Year Awards.
In 2011-12, Parker led her Panthers squad to a National Invitation Tournament appearance, while averaging 13 points, 12.2 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game. On Jan. 28, 2012, Parker became the first Division-I player at High Point to record a triple-double when she scored 13 points, blocked 10 shots and tied a career-high with 22 boards.
During her junior campaign, Parker led her team with a 17.9 scoring average and her 13.2 average rebounding mark was good for third in the nation. In 30 games, she recorded 23 double-doubles and was named first team All-Big South, while breaking her own conference record for blocked shots with 131.
