After his second and most recent official visit to Duke University this past weekend, Jabari Parker is reportedly heavily favoring the Blue Devils, according to Michael O’Brien of the Chicago Sun-Times.
A product of Simeon Career Academy (Illinois), Parker is the No. 2 ranked prospect in the ESPN 100. During his visit at Duke, Parker was reported to have been blown away during his full campus tour and with the Duke basketball facilities. He also took in Duke’s first exhibition game on Saturday afternoon.
Including Duke, he also lists BYU, Florida, Michigan State and Stanford. Parker made his first official visit to Michigan State two weekends ago. After his visit to Durham, he is scheduled to be on the Florida campus this weekend followed by a visit to Stanford (Nov. 9-11) and then finishing at BYU later in the month.
Throughout his recruitment, he has been rumored as favoring both Duke and Michigan State. As of late, the Spartans and head coach Tom Izzo have been making great strides during his recruitment, to the point that they were considered the frontrunner. However, his time at Duke seems to have shifted the tide in favor of the Blue Devils. As he enters the month of November with three official visits remaining, his father Sonny has stated that a December decision would be likely with Parker making it official during the spring signing period which runs from April 17 to May 15.
With the recent reclassification of Huntington Prep star, small forward Andrew Wiggins, the move to the class of 2013 bumped Parker from the top spot. Nevertheless, Parker is still highly regarded as one of the premier prospects in the land.
As a junior at Simeon, the 6’8″ Parker averaged 19.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 3.3 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. He helped lead Simeon to a school-best record of 33-1 and their third consecutive Class 4A state championship. Parker was recognized as the 2011-12 Gatorade National Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year and the first non-senior to capture the Illinois’ Mr. Basketball Award.
By Chad Lykins
