Get to know new Memphis forward Mike Parks Jr.

The best way to judge Mike Parks Jr.’s first months at Memphis is to simply look at the pictures.

When he arrived on campus, the 6-foot-9 forward weighed 276 pounds. By the time he went back home to Cleveland, Ohio, for a few weeks after the end of summer school, his weight already had dropped to 262 pounds.

Parks decided to commemorate the achievement by posting a side-by-side photo on his Twitter account. The old one featured a round belly and the other showcased his new abs and diet.

The goal now is to get down to 250 pounds for the 2017-18 men’s basketball season. The Tigers, meanwhile, are hopeful Parks still can provide the sort of bulk inside they lacked a year ago.

He will be one of five junior-college transfers on the Memphis roster, but his journey to this point is unlike any of his teammates. Parks aspires to be a paramedic once his playing career is over, and he's an artist who designed most of the tattoos on his body.

He also didn’t end up at junior college because of his grades. Instead, he went because of a lack of exposure in high school.

Parks spent his freshman year at Missouri State-West Plains Community College and transferred to Southwest Mississippi Community College ahead of last season. He then averaged 8.9 points and four rebounds per game as a sophomore and signed a national letter of intent to play for New Mexico.

But when former New Mexico coach Craig Neal got fired in April, the Tigers pounced. Parks soon committed to Memphis thanks to a pre-existing relationship with coach Tubby Smith.

During a recent interview with The Commercial Appeal, Parks went into more detail about his life on and off the basketball court and what he can do for the Tigers this season.

Here are some more highlights:

What led you to go to junior college out of high school?

“What led me is I went to a small school. We wasn’t highly recruited, but I was good. I won the player of the year for the conference and things like that. I just wasn’t exposed to the exposure and everything like that. AAU, I had a good team. There was coaches following me, but I don’t know what happened. So I just had to go JUCO.”

How did the junior-college experience help you?

“It made me a way better player because I’ve seen the difference between high school and college. You’ve got to play way harder at all times. Just keep it going. It basically turned me into a man. Now, I’m here and I know what college basketball is like, so I know what to expect.”

More: Q&A: Getting to know new Memphis guard Kareem Brewton

Why were your stats not that impressive last year?

“It was just certain situations because I could say Mississippi, they had some bigs when I played games, but mainly my size was like a mismatch. So you know I had to cut off some time, but I still managed to do my thing when I was in there.”

What was the recruiting process like with Memphis?

“That process was crazy. When I first found out (New Mexico fired Neal), I didn’t think it was real. Then, I’m like, ‘Oh man, I don’t know what I’m gonna do.’ I was scared. But my coaches, they all talked to me. ‘Calm down. It’s going to come to you. Just give it time.’ Then, in like three days, I had 12 offers. So OK, I have my options. Memphis, they ended up offering me and I been knowing Coach Tubby from my first year of college, so we already had that connection and everything. I just thought it was a good fit and a good opportunity.”

More: Get to know new Memphis forward Kyvon Davenport

How do you envision your role this season?

“Being that dominant big that they didn’t have last year because I heard they didn’t have a lot of size. So I’m bringing that size, trying to protect the paint, get down and dirty. Get them buckets down low that we need. I play aggressive. I try to not let anybody come in my paint. I could compare myself to almost like a DeMarcus Cousins.”

What’s your diet like right now?

“I changed my diet a little bit and starting eating more healthy. Stopped eating junk and stuff like that. I go hard in all my workouts and then I do stuff off the court when we’re not practicing and I go with the trainer and we do some conditioning-type stuff. It’s all in your mind, for real. You’ve got to put your mind to it because you see (the food) in your face and you be like, ‘Oh, that looks so good.’ But you’ve got to think in the long run. I want to stay on the floor as long as possible. You’ve got to stay in shape, so you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”

More: Get to know new Memphis forward Raynere Thornton

What’s this team going to be like?

“A lot of people underestimate us, but they just don’t see right now. This team clicked the first day we got down here. Everybody was cool. We just all play hard and all buy in, so I think we’re going to do great this year. People don’t think we’re going to go that far or win that many games, but we’re going to surprise a lot of people.”