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Eli Parquet aiming to elevate the defensive intensity of his teammates

Entering his senior year at Colorado, Eli Parquet, statistically speaking, is a player that has improved considerably in each season he's played in Boulder.

Eli Parquet guards USC's Tahj Eady in the 2021 Pac-12 Tournament semifinals game. CU won, 72-70.
Eli Parquet guards USC's Tahj Eady in the 2021 Pac-12 Tournament semifinals game. CU won, 72-70. (Stephen R. Sylvanie / USA Today)
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As a freshman in 2018-2019, Parquet's stats were negligible, as he averaged just over a point and board in his 26 appearances off the bench, during which he spent an average of 8.4 minutes on the court per appearance.

It was the end of Parquet's sophomore campaign in 2019-2020 that saw him assume a bigger all-around role with the Buffaloes as the team got deeper into Pac-12 league play.

Beginning with a road game at Southern Cal in early February of 2020, Parquet went on to average close to 20 minutes per game for the rest of the regular season after seeing the floor on average for about three minutes through CU's first eight conference matchups.

Building off that foundation, Parquet played in and started 31 games for the Buffs last year, averaging 5.2 points per game, a career-high, while also posting career-bests in shooting percentage (47.6%) and three-point accuracy (41.8%).

More importantly to Colorado's overall winning strategy was Parquet's emergence as a lockdown defender, an effort that ultimately landed him on the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team by season's end.

Even as he's left Boulder and embarks on an NBA career, departed senior McKinkley Wright IV's fingerprints are still visible in Boulder, namely in playing a role in Parquet's rise as an elite defender.

“I think McKinley Wright had a lot to do with it," Tad Boyle said. "I think McKinley really encouraged Eli off the floor like, ‘Hey, man, I need somebody to help me. I can’t do it all,’ because McKinley was always asked to guard the best perimeter player on the other team when he was a freshman and sophomore."

"It might have had something to do with McKinley, it might have had something to do with a lightbulb going off for Eli — I don’t know the answer to why. All I know is it happened."

Eli Parquet defends freshman guard K.J. Simpson in practice earlier this summer
Eli Parquet defends freshman guard K.J. Simpson in practice earlier this summer (Nigel Amstock / Rivals)

Parquet corroborated Boyle's hunch. Wright IV did play an active role in helping to get him to buy into being a pesky perimeter defender.

“He’ll always send me clips of (Milwaukee Buck and two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team guard) Jrue Holliday or (Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverly) off the court to say, ‘You can be this guy," Parquet said. "'That’s you — I see it in you, you’ve just got to go out there and do it. It’s all about your mindset.’”

That said, Parquet also just enjoys playing defense. Far from as flashy as scoring a boatload of points every night, showing up on defense is equally as important to a given team's success, especially one that has the Boyle-conjured identity centered around defense and rebounding.

“Not a lot of people like to defend," Parquet said. "People like shying away from defending so they can score the ball and I kind of want to be different. I’m a defensive guy."

"I feel like that’s my strength, so I lock in every, play hard every game and try to lock up everyone I’m guarding. I take that personal(ly). That’s what gets me going out there — defense.”

With Wright IV gone, and with him, a solid defender next to Parquet, the underclassman-heavy Buffaloes are looking to identify some viable options to step up along the perimeter and play stingy defense.

Sophomore guards Nique Clifford, Luke O'Brien and Keeshawn Barthelemy have all popped up as candidates, as has freshman guard K.J. Simpson.

In addition to continuing to improve his own game, Boyle has tasked Parquet with overseeing some of his younger teammates' development, especially when it comes to playing good defense.

"I think Eli’s challenge this year is to be the defender that he’s capable of being and challenging his fellow teammates to join and holding them accountable to his standards," Boyle said.

"If he does that, we’ll be better defensively. I think McKinley started to do that certainly (in) his junior and senior years.”

At the end of the day, Boyle and Parquet may well stress to the younger guards on roster that locking in defensively in essence is something of a business decision.

With multiple freshmen looking to crack CU's rotation this season, showcasing an ability to play stout defense could prove to be just the way to do that.

"I think so many young players identify their games and their success with their jump shot or scoring ability," Boyle said. "That’s not always how you’re going to get (playing time).”

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