Parker Dortch was brought to LMU as a scorer. The Columbus, New Jersey native is ready to put an exclamation on his college career this year as a senior.
 
His journey began over 2,750 miles away where he built up his game and played at Columbus' Northern Burlington HS. After graduating high school, Dortch enrolled in Kaskaskia College in Centralia, Illinois to play his junior college ball.
 
"I would describe my game as a versatile wing with a little bit of 'Jersey Jelly'," said the jovial Dortch.
 
And he was a scorer for the Blue Devils in the NJCAA National Championships.
 
In the national tournament, Dortch scored 22.5 points per game and knocked down nearly two-thirds of his three pointers going 64 percent from long range.
 
Then he came west again and enrolled in LMU prior to last season.
 
In his first year with the Lions, Dortch averaged just over five points per game in his junior season, but showed that he had the ability to score in bursts on several outings.
 
On November 21, Dortch put on a show for The Bahamas. Dortch went 7-for-9 from the field and corralled six rebounds in his first double-digit scoring output at the Division I level. Dortch scored 17 points to help guide LMU to a win over Air Force in the opening game of the Junkanoo Jam.
 
In the first game played after returning from the tournament, Dortch matched his 17-point outburst with 17 more in a home win over Southern Utah. Dortch led all scorers in that December 1 game, and needed just 22 minutes to hit a career-high eight field goals.
 
The January 23 conference game against Portland started off strong for Dortch, after the 6-8 forward hit the game's first basket. Dortch knocked down a three in the opening minutes of action and LMU never trailed against the Pilots. Again, Dortch shot efficiently, going 7-for-12 and hitting a season-high three triples to hit the 20-point plateau.
 
Dortch joins teammates Eli Scott, Keli Leaupepe, and Ivan Alipiev as returners to record a 20-point game in 2019-20.
 
Well he has shown that he can score, Dortch's transition to the Division I level has also taught him things on the other side of the ball.
 
"I learned a lot of different tricks on defensive that will help me become a lockdown defender for next year," said Dortch.
 
With a two-sided approach to his game in 2020-21, Dortch has what it takes be a nightly problem for opponents in his final run on the Bluff.
 
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