By Michael Kinney
Keeley Parks kind of knew what to expect. After watching her older sister Mikayla Parks (Kansas State) go through the recruiting process, the Norman High (OK.) junior knew that June 1 could be a little bit hectic for her.
However, Parks was not prepared for what took place the first day college coaches were allowed to contact players from the 2025 class.
“That’s when they all started calling me and texting me and I was like, man, that’s a lot,” Parks said. “I didn’t expect it to be that crazy.”
Even though Parks had been going through the recruiting process since she was in seventh grade, the reserved 5-foot-11 combo guard was still stunned by the response.
“I had a lot of texts that day, but I had a lot of calls too, so I probably had like 20 trying to talk at the time. It was stressful,” Parks said with a smile. “I had some coaches text me at 12:01 a.m. I was like they really wanted me. So, you got to do what you got to do.”
Yet, Parks shouldn’t have been too surprised. With a 5-star rating, she is ranked as 19th best player in ESPN’s Super 60.
Parks is currently averaging 25 points, eight rebounds, three assists and almost five steals for Norman Nigh. That includes a 51-point outburst in December that set a new school record. She has more than 45 offers from women’s basketball programs around the country.
However, on Feb. 8 the real work begins for Parks and her family. That’s when those offers will be whittled down to her top 15 schools. One of which will eventually become her future collegiate home.
Parks plans to make her announcement on her social media accounts before she heads to school.
When it came to what Parks was looking for in a program as she whittled down her list, the criteria were pretty simple.
“I just want good relationships with the coaches and players,” Parks said. “Maybe play somewhere where I know people. I mean honestly, I feel like anywhere I go I’ll know people because I’ve met them at camps and played against them.”
Yet, Parks is also looking for a certain style of play when she heads to the next level. The “free, five-out” transition game is what she prefers. Or, as she described it, more of a pickup basketball game.
But at the end of the day, Parks will take in every before making her final decision. That includes going on a few official visits.
“I haven’t really been on any visits yet that I want to go on because they are pretty far,” Parks said. “But probably just talking to the coaches and getting to know them helps a lot.”
Even though it comes right as the Lady Tigers are preparing for a postseason run, Park’s father, who is also her head coach, believes this will be beneficial for her and the team.
“Keeley’s been going through this for quite a bit of time, and at this point, it will maybe allow her to streamline some things,” NHS coach Frankie Parks said, “and have more time dedicated to the high school program by having a little more time on her hands to allocate to that.”
According to Frankie Parks, he and his wife Melissa do not have a specific program they want to see their daughter play at. Despite having hosted countless college coaches at Norman practices over the past couple of years, the biggest factor is his daughter’s happiness.
“Wherever she’s happy I think is what it comes down to, and hopefully that happiness comes from within the program and the people that she’s around and the opportunities that she’ll receive outside of basketball,” Frankie Parks said. “No timeline on a final decision at this point. We’ll kind of give some insight on her top schools and as parents, we’ll really start focusing on those schools with her once again, to try to find those things that are important to us as parents, and then finding the right fit and making sure that once again, she’s happy when it’s all said and done.”
Parks has aspirations to play in the WNBA or overseas. Whatever college program she ends up playing for is going to have to be one that can help her accomplish that goal.
However, both college and professional hoop dreams are still far off into the future. Parks still has work to do this year.
After Parks announces her top 15 college programs, she will be right back in the Norman High gymnasium that afternoon putting up hundreds of shots before practice as she prepares to lead the Lady Tigers into the postseason.
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