Jabari Parker, the No. 2 recruit in the class of 2013 will make his college announcement Thursday afternoon. Duke is one of five teams still in contention for the 6-foot-8 forward, along with Michigan State, Florida, Stanford and BYU. The Spartans and Blue Devils are thought to be the heavy favorites, however.
The Chronicle's sports editor Andrew Beaton and recruiting/men's basketball beat writer Brady Buck sat down to discuss the importance of Parker's decision and its impact on Duke.
Andrew Beaton: With the decision looming tomorrow, people seem to have this as a proposition between Duke and Michigan State—what would nailing Parker mean to the Blue Devils?
Brady Buck: Landing Parker would be a major coup for the Duke program. He's been described as one of the better high school basketball players in recent memory. Moreover, he would immediately make Duke one of the heavy favorites to cut down the nets in 2014. And he would fit into Duke's roster quite well, don't you think?
AB: Think about what that starting five could look like next year if he commits to Duke: Marshall Plumlee, Parker, Rodney Hood, Rasheed Sulaimon, Quinn Cook. Not quite your typical starting lineup, but also a pretty scary one to defend.
BB: With that lineup the Blue Devils would be lethal at positions 2-4. In my opinion, Parker is the ideal four-man in Krzyzewski's system. At 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, Parker would be used like Loul Deng was in his one year at Duke. And as you alluded to, the versatility of that lineup would be something Duke has not had in quite some time.
AB: And something you've pointed out before is that Coach K has demonstrated he can succeed with a lineup like that—he did it at the Olympics, winning with athleticism on the wings and less of an emphasis on typical positions. That flexibility will only be increased when they go with lineups that could feature Amile Jefferson and Josh Hairston at the five.
BB: Absolutely. It seems as if Krzyzewski is trying to recruit personnel that fits the style of play he utilized for the U.S. national team. If Parker comes to Durham, the Blue Devils would have considerable depth and likely three first-round NBA draft picks in 'Sheed, Hood and Parker.
AB: The depth would certainly be one thing—the bench would easily be five or six deep with top recruits in Hairston, Jefferson, Thornton, Murphy, Jones, Ojeleye and even potentially Andre Dawkins. That could form a pretty nasty starting five for most teams in the country.
BB: It will certainly be interesting to see who Parker decides to grace his talents with. Given the team's early success, the timing of the decision, Parker's character, and the good vibes coming from recruiting analysts and fans, all signs point to Duke, but it is recruiting, so anything can happen.
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