San Diego State once again strikes gold in the transfer portal with the commitment of Micah Parrish, a 6’6 freshman forward and recent entry into the transfer portal from Oakland University outside of Detroit. Micah was heavily recruited by Michigan State and West Virginia, teams whom he faced last season and performed very well against. One sports media outlet predicted Parrish would commit to the Spartans after he took an official visit to their campus last week.
To say Aztec fans were once again shocked by the commitment is an understatement. In similar fashion to Darrion Tramell’s commitment last month, Aztec Nation thought we were getting one player only to be taken by surprise when we landed another. On Wednesday, a rumor circulated on social media that a new addition to the Aztecs basketball family would be announced shortly.
It was soon revealed in Twitter space that Parrish was indeed a major player for SDSU. All eyes were still focused on senior guard Rudi Williams from Coastal Carolina choosing between the Aztecs and BYU. Rudi had come in to take a visit in San Diego and was believed to be a real possibility.
Finally, Jay Posner, the sports editor from the San Diego Union-Tribune, was following Micah as well and since the UT always breaks news first on the Aztecs, it was a matter of when, not if Parrish would commit to the Aztecs.
Now that’s the tweet Aztec fans like to see……
So who is this mystery player who literally no one forecasted would become an Aztec?
The Parrish File
Parrish started 57 out of 59 games in his 2 years at Oakland. He averaged 12 points in 34 minutes per game shooting 44% overall, 35% from deep and 80% at the free throw line. He grabbed 6 boards a game too. At Oakland, Parrish was known for being a “3 & D” wing who could also slash to the hoop and play with his back to the basket in small ball situations. Almost all of his shots were at the rim or from behind the 3-point arc. Parrish’s stats compare similarly to Chad Baker-Mazara’s stats with Chad being better from behind the arc and Micah better finishing at the rim. Parrish was also an All-Horizon league defensive player last season and can guard any position on the floor. The clip below shows his versatility on the floor as a wing forward.
Listen to our New ‘Kiss The Rings’ episode for more about Micah Parrish and our SDSU Basketball Banquet recap!
The bottom line is Parrish adds more depth to an already deep Aztecs roster. He will likely start the year coming off of the bench. SDSU has him for 3 more years and he should see his minutes increase as the upperclassmen in front of him graduate after next season. By all accounts, he is a gym rat who should fit in well with the culture built at SDSU.
Tears of Sparty
Since news broke of Parrish committing to the Aztecs, fans in East Lansing have not been taking the news well. Michigan State, a program with 2 national championships, 10 Final Four appearances and a long list of alumni who have played in the NBA, lost out on one of their biggest recruiting targets in this year’s transfer portal to a team from the Mountain West. Not even the deep pockets of Michigan State boosters could lure Parrish with NIL deals to play for the mighty Spartans. These podcasters ranted for 5 minutes about losing Parrish to SDSU. Enjoy!
Kudos to Coach Dutcher and his staff for continuing to outrecruit bigger brand name programs for quality players in the transfer portal.
What about Nathan?
As the Aztecs transfer portal season winds down, the only decision left to be made is if Nathan Mensah will return to SDSU for another year. It has been reported that he is deciding between the NBA and coming back to school. The decision may not come until the end of the month but I fully expect Nathan to be wearing an Aztecs uniform next season. Players like Jamarion Sharp from Western Kentucky, Mouhamed Gueye and Efe Abogidi from Washington State and Qudus Wahab from Maryland could still be available in the portal if Mensah decides to leave.
Stay tuned SDSU fans. 2022-2023 is shaping up to be one of the most talented Aztec rosters ever assembled.
