High School basketball phenom Jabari Parker will play for the Duke Blue Devils and head coach Mike Krzyzewski next season.
Parker, the No. 2 consensus recruit in the country, made the announcement Thursday afternoon at a packed news conference at his high school in Chicago.
“In the fall of 2013, I will be attending Duke University,” said Parker. “What brought me to the decision is, of course, the history. Duke was always going to be a team in the tournament. You can’t go wrong at the program. And, most importantly, the long-term investment — I feel if I go there, I can get a good degree.”
In addition to Duke’s history, Parker also said the school’s proximity was a major factor that played a part in his decision making.
“I can also stay close to home, where it’s easily accessible for my parents, for my family. It’s not too far away.”
Besides Duke, the 6-foot-8 Parker had listed BYU, Michigan State, Stanford and Florida as the schools he was considering.
“All the schools that I was interested in, you can’t go wrong at any of the programs,” Parker said. “It was more of a better, best and best situation I had to chose from.”
ESPN reports Parker is Duke’s third Class of 2013 recruit. He joins shooting guard Matt Jones, who is ranked No. 36 in the nation, and small forward Semi Ojeleye, who is ranked No. 41.
As a junior, Jabari was named the national Gatorade Player of the Year and Illinois’ Mr. Basketball, averaging averaged 19.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 3.3 blocks and 1.4 steals per game.
Check out a few highlights of Jabari Parker’s highschool career in the video clips below:
