thedcdime

By: Mike Bohlin

Whenever Sports Illustrated tabs someone as the “Best prep player since LeBron James” they have to be a pretty special talent. Jabari Parker, a 6’8″ small forward from Chicago, Illinois has been given that label as he has ascended the high school basketball ranks. Wednesday night, via Twitter, Parker released his top 10 college choices and the Georgetown Hoyas made the cut.

Parker’s list, in no particular order, consists of BYU, DePaul, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, North Carolina and Stanford. It appears as if Parker would like to stay to the east of Chicago if possible so that his family would be able to watch him, presumed, only season of college basketball.

“I don’t want my family waking up at 12 o’clock in the morning just to watch my games,” Parker told the Associated Press. This certainly would help Georgetowns chances at securing a commitment the top recruit in the country.

The inclusion of BYU in his list of 10 is a testament to Parker’s faith; his family is Mormon. Whether Parker goes on the two-year mission that the majority of Mormon’s do between graduating high school and attending college is still up in the air. Personally, I would be shocked if the reigning Mr. Basketball in the state of Illinois as well as the reigning Gatorade National Player of the Year put his basketball career on hold for two years to go on his Mormon mission. However, you can never really speculate when it comes to a person’s religious beliefs.

Parker noted that he wanted to trim his list to five schools before he begins his senior year at Simeon Career Academy, “I want to make my decision in November if that’s possible,” he told the Associated Press.

Bringing in a player the caliber of Parker would be a major recruiting coup for John Thompson III and the rest of the Georgetown staff. As a junior, Parker averaged 19.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 3.3 blocks and 1.4 steals per game for Simeon, leading them to their third consecutive Illinois state title.

Prior to Hollis Thompson agreeing to a three-year deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder yesterday no wing player during JT III’s time on the hill had signed an NBA contract. With the reclassification of Stephen Domingo to the class of 2012 being announced yesterday the Hoyas are increasing their talent on the perimeter, being able to add a player the caliber of Jabari Parker to the fold would only further strengthen the small forward position.

As more news comes out on Georgetown’s recruitment of Jabari Parker over the course of the the next few months TheDCDime will be there to keep you updated as the Hoyas attempt, yet again, to secure a commitment from the top ranked player in the country.

Tags: BYU, Class of 2013, Duke Blue Devils, Gatorade National Player of the Year, Georgetown Hoyas, Jabari Parker, john thompson iii, Kansas Jayhawks, Kentucky Wildcats, Mr. Basketball, Simeon Career Academy, Stephen Domingo