Parker U’u: The best 14th man in America

There are signs everywhere of San Diego State’s ascension into the rarefied air of college basketball. The banners hanging from Viejas Arena. The soldout crowds beneath them. The two 31-win seasons in four years. The five straight NCAA Tournament appearances. The five-star recruits. An alum, Kawhi Leonard, named MVP of the NBA Finals.

Here’s another: Parker U’u.

Parker U’u?

He’s a redshirt sophomore guard who transferred from Hartford, where he had a scholarship and prospects of significant playing time, to San Diego State, where he doesn’t. He sat out last season and is eligible now, just in time for arguably the best recruiting class in school history to arrive.

“I could have easily settled for something else, probably could have maybe gone to another Division I and played a lot there and had a good time,” says U’u (pronounced you-you). “But my mom and my dad, we all talked about it and decided: Why not go big? Go for what you can, do the best you can, work hard in practice, do everything you can, show them what I have, and God will take care of the rest.”

So the Aztecs have a 6-foot-5, 210-pound walk-on who averaged 16.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists as a senior at one of the state’s top high school programs (Jesuit High in the Sacramento suburb of Carmichael) and was once considered a top-15 recruit in Northern California. A knock-down shooter with a Div. I body who, in the estimation of SDSU coach Steve Fisher, “knows how to play.” Who would rather sit at a Top 25 program than start somewhere else. Who, in an era when kids routinely transfer to get more playing time, left to get less.

The best 14th man in America.

SDSU teammates Dakarai Allen and D’Erryl Williams know. They played at rival Sheldon High in Sacramento and faced U’u multiple times at Jesuit.

“We went at it,” says Allen, his roommate at SDSU. “I covered him. We’d each have 20 every game … He’s good. He could go a lot of places (in Div. I) and contribute and potentially be a starter.”

He’s here instead because it snows in Connecticut and because Chase Tapley broke his leg during his sophomore year at Sacramento High.

U’u was recruited heavily as a junior, with Big West and Ivy League schools showing the most interest, but that cooled after a lackluster performance on the summer AAU circuit and a broken ankle in the spring of his senior year. He accepted an offer from Hartford in August and was on campus a few weeks later.

He appeared in 29 games as a freshman for a 17-14 Hawks team that reached the postseason for the first time in its Div. I history. He had nine points and four steals against Colorado, which would play in the NCAA Tournament that year. He was expected to compete for a starting spot as a sophomore or junior.

Then he followed his older brother’s footsteps in the snow. Drake U’u also went to Hartford, although under a different head coach. Drake also transferred after a year, ending up at Cal Poly.

“I’m pretty sure we’re the only brothers in NCAA history to do that,” U’u says. “I played a little bit. I didn’t really feel my vibe. It’s cold out there, you know. It snows, what, five months out of the year. It just didn’t really fit my flow to grow as a man. It wasn’t really a deal for basketball. It was more like for me and life.”

This is where Tapley’s left leg enters the story. Tapley was being recruited by some of the West’s top programs when he broke it and the phone calls stopped, except for one school. Tapley would become a four-year starter at SDSU and ranks second in career victories.

Al U’u knew the Tapleys because Drake played against Chase in AAU ball.

“I remember Chase’s dad telling me, ‘San Diego State was the only school that still called and told him not to worry,’” says Al U’u, who is of Samoan descent and was born in San Diego. “I thought, ‘What a classy program.’ That stuck with me.”

The serendipitous connection to SDSU came in the summer of 2013, when Aztecs assistant coach Justin Hutson was invited to work a summer camp with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where Phil Handy – U’u’s former AAU coach in Sacramento – had just been hired. Handy told Hutson about U’u. Hutson told Handy they were out of scholarships.

U’u shrugged and came anyway.

“You can look at it as, yeah, I’d much rather have my son get a scholarship and not pay for school,” Al U’u says. “But sometimes you just have to invest in your kids. For us it’s about life lessons, and Coach Fisher is the kind of guy who can deliver them. He reminds me a lot of Coach (John) Wooden, his demeanor and how he handles himself.

“As a parent, that’s what you want. You want your kids to be in that kind of environment. It was a no-brainer for me.”

U’u splits time in practice between the scout team and the scholarship unit, although with five players sidelined Tuesday due to various knocks he was running with the regulars. Getting assists on consecutive possessions. Grabbing rebounds. Fighting through screens. Draining one deep jumper after another.

Said Fisher: “The nice thing he has done here is what we expected him to do but doesn’t always happen: He’s done exactly what we’ve asked him to do. If we say, ‘Rebound, you’re not going to shoot the ball today,’ he’s done it with enthusiasm. If we say, ‘You’re going to be the lead scout dog and shoot it every time you get it,’ he’s done that with enthusiasm. He’s a wonderful guy to have be part of the program, because he wants to be here and wants to be part of a team that’s successful.”

Fisher doesn’t guarantee playing time. He does, however, guarantee players they’ll get a fair shake, whether or not they’re on scholarship. If you think those are empty promises, ask Al Faux, John Sharper or current fifth-year senior Aqeel Quinn, all walk-ons who ended up starting for Fisher. Quinn left a scholarship at Cal State Northridge to pay his own way at SDSU and cracked the rotation last season, even starting once.

“I feel like everybody on the squad, no matter what position you’re in, has to know their role,” U’u says. “I’m just glad to be part of the team. My dad just always tells me: ‘Stay positive, stay healthy and make the most out of your opportunities.’ That’s what I’m here to do. Yeah, I’m just waiting for my time. Patiently waiting and working hard.”