It’s Official: Jabari Parker Chooses Duke

You’ve seen the highlight tapes, you’ve heard the praise but you never knew the destination. Now it’s official: Simeon Academy’s Jabari Parker, ranked at or near the No. 1 spot in all the relevant recruiting rankings and the top player in his class since he was a freshman, is going to Duke. The smooth, 6-8 player has drawn Paul Pierce comparisons, and chose the Blue Devils over Stanford, BYU, Michigan State and Florida during an announcement on ESPNU.

Sports Illustrated published a piece following the announcement that went inside his recruitment, and one home visit, on Sept. 21, stood out to Parker’s camp.

Krzyzewski made his in-home visit on Sept. 21. That marked a turning point in Jabari’s decision-making process. Krzyzewski was the only one who spent much of his visit on his feet. “He was so animated,” said Jabari’s mother, Lola. “There were moments when he was so passionate that he couldn’t sit down.”
That was especially the case when Krzyzewski broke down Duke’s offense for Jabari. For each play, Coach K demonstrated precisely the proper position of Jabari’s feet and hands, as well as the direction and angle of Jabari’s body. He repeated this when going through Duke’s defenses. Parker felt like he was at a clinic.

[RELATED: Skullcandy Goes To School With Jabari Parker]

Who’s next from Chicago? Be on the lookout already for Jahlil Okafor.

What do you think of Parker’s choice?

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