Dena Cain Parker was called one of the premier shooters in basketball and one of the purest outside shooters in college basketball during her years at Louisiana College.
In high school at Pitkin, Parker was named All-State and All-American during her senior season and was a four time All-District performer for a team which won three straight state titles.
An athlete with a true competitive spirit, Parker wasn't only an accomplished basketball player, but also a champion barrel racer. In 1977, she was named the Louisiana Cowgirl of the Year.
That same year she averaged 15.3 points per game and shot 86.2 percent from the free throw line. Parker still holds the Louisiana College individual season record for free throws (shooting 96.2 percent in 1980-81), and the Louisiana College individual career free throw record, holding an 86.1 percent record during 1977-1981.
Parker learned her skills the hard way -- she practiced. She began practicing the proper shooting form when she was nine, shooting baskets on her parents' farm. She was known to stay in the Louisiana College gym shooting free throws, often making 100 in a row.
A smart defender, Parker was a great pressure player. She was Louisiana College's top scorer when the Lady Wildcats played in the Final Four in Dayton. She averaged 18.2 points during the five game national tournament, hitting 53 percent on shots that would be considered three pointers in the National Basketball Association.
After college, Parker returned to East Beauregard Parish and coached kids how to do exactly what she had done. She taught them to play with all their heart and to shoot the basketball like no other player around.
The Wildcat Athletic Association proudly inducted Dena Cain Parker as a member of the Louisiana College Sports Hall of Fame on February 18, 1994.
