At La Vega High School in Waco, Texas, KP Parr was a decorated track athlete. She placed on the podium in the triple jump and the 4×200-meter relay at the 2021 Texas State 4A state championship and also holds her high school’s record in the 200 meters. But when it came time to compete at the collegiate level, Parr chose basketball. 

The freshman plans to use her experience from the track, though.

“Being in track definitely helped me get in shape faster and also stay in shape as I was playing throughout the summer and in high school,” Parr said. “And it helped build mental toughness.”

Parr chose WSU over other Division I college programs because they “made me feel like it was home, from the first phone call.”

“They were very in tune with what I had going on, and I could tell they wanted the best in me,” Parr said. “Coach (Terry) Nooner actually called me every day until I committed … He made sure he was at games even though I was from Texas. So they were very supportive, and I could see that they wanted the best for me.”  

Parr played in 151 games during her high school career, averaging 11.5 points, 3.9 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 3.6 steals per game. 

She led La Vega to back-to-back 4A basketball Texas state championships while also being named championship MVP both seasons. In 2023, Parr was named the Texas 4A player of the year.

Parr rooms with sophomore guard Salese Blow. She said that Parr challenges her on the court and supports her social off of it.

“She pushes me a lot,” Blow said. “I push her a lot. We live door-to-door so we are always talking about practice and what we could have done better. We (are) always making store runs, running to Target, going to get ice cream and going to get food together.”

Parr said she wants to be named the American Conference Freshman of the Year and help lead Wichita State to the national tournament.    

“I want us to win games, be a lot better than we were last year and just continue to stack days and getting 1% better as we go on practice,” Parr said.