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Top-Ranked Duke Remains Undefeated
CHICAGO Jabari Parker didn't have fun on his visit to Duke.
In fact, it was his worst. He "wanted to be a kid," he said. The Duke visit was "all about business."
Nor was Parker impressed by Duke assistant coach Chris Collins' close ties to the Chicago area. "He's not from Chicago," Parker said. "He's from Northbrook."
And no, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski didn't let Parker see a side of him no one else sees, or lower himself to the always-low levels many college coaches are willing to stoop to land a first-order talent like Parker's.
"He didn't let his guard down," Parker said. "He's Coach K."
The No. 2-ranked player in the class of 2012 had a great relationship with Michigan State's Tom Izzo, an even better tie to Billy Donovan, and a chance to be a religious and cultural hero to not only BYU fans but Mormons across the world.
Yet none of it was enough to lure him away from four-time national champion Duke, and its legend of a head coach. When Parker stood in front of fans, friends, family and way too many media members taking too many amateurish cell phone photos yours truly included the answer was Duke. Few seemed surprised.
"What brought me to the decision is, of course, the history," Parker said. "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. I can also stay close to home, where it's easily accessible for my parents, for my family. It's not too far away."
It's hard to argue with the young man's logic, and equally impossible to overstate how big of a get this is for Coach K's Blue Devils. On Thursday, Parker said Krzyzewski congratulated him on his decision, but wasn't all that excited on the phone.
"He said congratulations," Parker said. " pretty excited. I know not in their mind. They land players like me all the time."
He's being modest. Nevermind Austin Rivers: No recruit in recent Duke history has come preloaded with either Parker's hype or skill set.
Parker is a three-time state champion in Illinois. He's the only non-senior to ever win Mr. Basketball. He has graced the cover of Sports Illustrated (the headline: "The best high school player since LeBron James is JABARI PARKER "). He is widely seen as a once-every-five-years type of player with a guaranteed NBA future. (Were it not for new No. 1 player Andrew Wiggins, who reclassified from the 2014 class after blowing everyone's minds over the summer, Parker would be No. 1 in his class, too.)
Before he can get to the NBA, though, he'll play at least one season in Durham, N.C. Parker said he could stay for two or even three, "depending how I do" where he significantly boosts the Blue Devils' always rosy prospectus.
More from ESPN.comSeveral high-profile schools other than Duke actively recruited Jabari Parker. RecruitingNation's Adam Finkelstein comes up with contingency plans for each of those programs. Blog
Rankin:How Coach K will use ParkerClass rankings:
This offseason, the No. 1-ranked Blue Devils will lose senior forward Mason Plumlee , who is performing at an All-American level, to the NBA draft. Guard Seth Curry and stretch forward Blessed with a plethora of options, Parker couldn't help but go with the Blue Devils and their legendary coach.
"It's just Coach K," he said. "That's one of the best coaches ever, and I wanted to be able to experience the things that he has next year."
Eamonn Brennan emailESPN.com college basketball writer
Joined ESPN.com in 2009
Writes Bubble Watch
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