De'Sean Parsons has overcome a lot in his life to get where he is now. Early in PSU's 2016-17 season, Parsons is the Vikings' third-leading scorer at 12.1 per game, averages 4.9 rebounds and is leading the team in blocks (11).       

But from his perspective, perhaps the most important statistic is minutes played. This year he's third in minutes played per game.      

That's a big change from the first half of last season, his first as a Viking.        

"I didn't play much last year and got down on myself. I was used to playing high school (Grant Union High School in Sacramento) and JC (Salt Lake Community College) where it was basketball 24/7 and here I was getting two to three minutes a game. It was terrible," said the 6'7" Parsons.       

He also was used to being a big guard, and the PSU coaching staff moved him to forward because the team lacked size and because, with his quickness, they thought he could defend larger players. The transition was hard.     

In high school and community college, Parsons had been a star. Among the things that attracted the Viking coaching staff, Parsons had been named Region 18 co-Most Valuable Player (MVP) and third-team junior college All-American at Salt Lake.  In high school, he was Delta League MVP and District II Player of the Year, was named first team All-Metro and second team All-State by the Sacramento Bee.    

"As a guard, you're used to having the ball in your hands. As a guard, I was used to having the plays going through me. I was used to making plays. I was used to being the system. Now I was being asked to be part of the system," he recalled describing his transition to Division I basketball.      

Now, he was being asked to take a different role--look for rebounds, guard bigger, more skillful and faster people. "It was a big adjustment. I was really down on myself. I wondered why I was here. So, I talked with my support system (family and former Sacramento King's player Bobby Jackson). It took a while. It was a process."       

That all changed at an away game in his home town last January, an 81-63 win over Sacramento State. Parsons played 18 minutes, went 4-6 from the field and got a steal. It was a homecoming he won't soon forget.     

"It was like being back home, seeing my family and friends. They hadn't seen me play and being in front of family and friends…it was like being in high school all over again. This just clicked. After that game, I wanted to play again. It was a long process with lots of ups and downs," Parsons said.     

It was also a game where Viking Head Coach Tyler Geving went with a small lineup and moved Parsons to the four spot (power forward).    

"De'Sean's role changed halfway through last year when we moved him to the four position and went with a smaller lineup.  Since making that move, he has excelled in his new role. His scoring and rebounding averages have gone up. He becomes a harder matchup for opposing teams because he can use his quickness against bigger defenders. He is also great in running the floor in transition, which allows him to get easy baskets," Geving said of the change that began with that Sac State game.       

But, that wasn't the first challenge Parsons had faced on his journey to Division I basketball, a dream from his high school days, a dream which faced a mountainous obstacle even though he finished high school with all those basketball honors.     

"I didn't like high school. I was really only interested in basketball. I didn't have the grades. In fact, I couldn't imagine that I'd ever graduate from college," said Parsons. So, he talked to his family and to Jackson, who'd taken him under his wing when Parsons played on a summer league team Jackson coached while Parsons was in high school.     

"It was with him that I really started liking basketball. He's my role model, like part of the family, and still works with me and gives me advice about basketball and life," he said.     

The decision was to go the junior college route.     

"It was the best thing that could have happened to me. I got away from home. I grew up, was on my own and had to take responsibility for myself and my grades. If I wanted to play Division I basketball, I had to get serious about my grades. It was a great thing to have been there," he said.      

Parsons came away from his junior college experience with a B-plus cumulative average and earned the attention of coaches from University of Idaho, Idaho State, University of Portland, Middle Tennessee, Albany College and Tennessee Tech.      

He chose Portland State because he liked the city and he liked the coaching staff. I traveled a lot to San Francisco (where he has relatives) when I was a kid and I call Portland little San Francisco. I'm a city person" and he wanted to stay and play in an urban environment.     

Overcoming his attitude toward the academic side of school was the second of three major hurdles Parsons said he had to overcome.     

"A lot of people don't know that I was in the California foster care system," he said.      

At the age of two, the state placed him with his aunt Bernadette, who has looked after him ever since. Today, he has a relationship with his mother, but calls his aunt "mom" because "she reared me". She took me in when I was two and she had two other children. My auntie Bernadette is my heart and soul. She has my back no matter what and has always wanted the best for me. I can't imagine what my life would have been without her."     

He described his journey from high school as "long, tiring, stressful, humbling, a learning experience…but it's blessing to be able to play basketball and go to school." Parsons will graduate in Social Science next spring and is amazed at what his life looks like now.       

"When you think about the challenge that I went through…the changes family-wise, school-wise, things I had to overcome in my past...hating school and school classes…" he said his words fading off and shaking his head.          

Ultimately, he'd like to return for a masters' degree and become a social worker.       

First, though, he's got two other goals to reach.       

Initially, there's the rest of this basketball season.       

"His attitude and approach to this season have helped him become a better player. De'Sean works extremely hard on the court and that carries over to his teammates. I'm also proud of how he has matured in the classroom and that he is on pace to graduate this spring," Geving said.       

Parsons started this season knowing he needed more consistent shooting and on defense "providing anything the team needs. I do a lot of things well and I can guard bigger and faster players."       

Geving thinks Parsons "is doing a great job running the floor in transition when we get steals and rebounds. His quickness allows for him to get a couple of easy baskets a game. He anticipates a lot of things on defense which creates turnovers for our team. We need De'sean to continue to rebound and play hard on the defensive end the rest of the season, continue to get easy baskets for us in our transition game and be a great senior leader the rest of the season."    

The second thing is that Parsons would like a shot at playing professionally after college.     

"One of the biggest reasons I'm playing basketball is that I'd like ultimately to give her (his aunt Bernadette) a life where she doesn't have to work. Without her, I'd not be here. I can say that for sure," he said.