CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Austin Peay men’s basketball team recently enjoyed a historic 2025-26 season. The team won a regular-season title for the first time in almost two decades and finished with its most overall wins since 2018-19.
Much of that success can undoubtedly be attributed to Collin Parker. Parker spent the first four years of his college career at NAIA Columbia College. Ahead of the 2025-26 season, Parker made the jump to Austin Peay for his final collegiate season, and the move couldn’t have worked out any better for both sides.
Parker averaged 19.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game during his lone season with the Govs. The forward scored at least 30 points four different times, including a season-high 39 points against Queens in February. At the conclusion of the season, Parker earned First-Team All-ASUN honors and was voted ASUN Newcomer of the Year.
After his historic campaign, Parker now has his eyes set on the ultimate goal – making it to the NBA. It was reported that Parker had two NBA workouts in recent weeks- one with the Brooklyn Nets and one with the Detroit Pistons.
Following the reports, Parker sat down with Clarksville Now to talk about his plans and reflect on his time in Clarksville.
Parker says choosing Austin Peay was an easy choice
After dominating at the NAIA level, Parker had plenty of options for his final season of play, however, Austin Peay stood out from the beginning to the star forward.
“Austin Peay was the first school to contact me,” Parker said. “I talked to (Head Coach Corey Gipson) and (Coach Tim Ward) and loved them and the city.”
After deciding to transfer to APSU, it didn’t take long for Parker to fit right in. His first scoring outburst came in the fourth game against UNC Greensboro, in which he finished with 22 points scored.
Parker would go on to score at least 20 points 11 more times during the season 2025-26 season. Parker credited Gipson’s coaching for helping him constantly get better throughout his season in Clarksville.
“Gip pushed me to be better. He can be hard on you, but it’s only to make you better,” Parker told Clarksville Now. “I definitely made the right choice. We all had a great relationship. I wish we could’ve gone further, but it was still a great season.”
Unfortunately, Parker and the Govs bowed out in the conference tournament and didn’t get selected for the NCAA Tournament. Still, Parker was responsible for arguably the loudest moments in F&M Bank Arena’s early history.
“Our home games against North Alabama and Lipscomb definitely stood out,” said Parker. “It was so loud in there.”
On the NBA and the Govs’ future
When you rack up the accolades as Parker did, as a prospect, you’re going to start getting some interest from professional teams. Parker has already had two workouts with the Brooklyn Nets and Detroit Pistons, and now he’s ready for what’s next.
“The workouts went really well, and I got some good feedback. They said they liked what they saw, so we’ll see what happens,” Parker said. “(I’m) hoping to get some more workouts scheduled.”
Parker said he is hoping to get a Summer League invite from an NBA team, but if that doesn’t work out, he plans to pursue professional opportunities overseas. Parker would join the likes of Trenton Hassell, Fly Williams, Terry Taylor, and Chris Horton as Austin Peay alums to play professional basketball.
Just because he’s not on the team anymore though, doesn’t mean he won’t still keep up with the Govs. Parker said he was especially happy to see Rashaud Marshall and Zyree Collins commit to the Govs for another season.
“Rashaud and Zyree are super unselfish. They’re always looking to pass the ball and just help the team win however they can,” Parker said. “It’s great for the program. I think they’ll be even better. Zyree and Rashaud together again will be impossible to stop.”
No matter what’s next for Parker, he’s definitely not going to forget the magical 2025-26 season any time soon. “Everybody treats you like family in Clarksville,” Parker said. “It was definitely a great experience.”
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