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PROVO — Jabari Parker, one of the most highly recruited high school basketball players in the nation, is set to announce his college pick on Dec. 20.
Parker, a senior attending Simeon High School in Chicago, has been considered one of the best young basketball players in the country for years. After leading his high school to three straight state championships, earning most valuable player awards with the national team, Parker has been at the top of many college programs' wish lists.
Parker has whittled down his list of potential schools to five — Stanford, Florida, Michigan State, Duke and BYU.
Speculation has been rampant about which school Parker will select, with no hint of direction provided by the young player and his family.
Will he choose the possibility of a national championship with Duke and Mike Krzyzewski?
Will he choose the talent of a strong recruiting class in Florida and play with Kasey Hill and Chris Walker, two top-10 recruits?
Will Parker choose the experience of Tom Izzo and the solid Michigan State squad, a program that has produced NBA talent such as Zach Randolph, Jason Richardson and Magic Johnson?
Will he choose the option of kick-starting a program by choosing Stanford, an experience that would be similar to the path Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins took in college?
Or will he choose to attend BYU, following the path of fellow LDS recruits TJ Haws, Nick Emery and Eric Mika?
The answer will come soon, in a decision that will leave four schools wishing and wanting and one school celebrating.
