Jabari Parker begins career for Duke basketball with sky-high expectations

Duke has 12 scholarship players on its active roster. Six of those were named McDonald's All-Americans in high school. But just one was touted as the greatest high school basketball player since LeBron James on the cover of Sports Illustrated long before he ever played a minute of college basketball.

There are many reasons why freshman Jabari Parker stands out from the pack as he enters his first season at the collegiate level. His rare combination of size and athleticism at 6-foot-8 makes him a lethal course on the hardwood. Off the court, Parker may be the highest-profile Mormon basketball player ever to play the game.

But most importantly, it appears that the Blue Devils' chances at a fifth national title rest squarely on his 18-year-old shoulders.

"He's an amazingly talented player," sophomore forward Amile Jefferson said. "Some things he does on the court are just unbelievable."

Parker is no stranger to being in the spotlight. Playing in Chicago—a city which puts its high school basketball stars under the microscope—Parker was subjected to a media circus at every one of his games. He thrived in these conditions, leading his Simeon Career Academy squad to four consecutive state titles and finished with a career record of 118-15 in four seasons. He was just the second player in Illinois basketball history to start for four consecutive state championship teams.

That experience could not have been better preparation for the two themes that drive Duke's basketball program: pressure and success.

"It simulates it a little bit, but it's not quite there," Parker said. "Especially playing for a big-time program like Duke, it's something special. You find the significance when you're out there, and hopefully I'll get it when I play my first game Friday."

A walking matchup problem on the offensive end and able to guard all five positions on the floor on defense, Parker is one of the main reasons why this year's Duke team will have a different complexion than last year's squad. Parker will be a piece of one of the most athletic—albeit undersized—frontcourts in the country. Playing alongside Jefferson in the post, the size and rebounding abilities of Parker and 6-foot-8 forward Rodney Hood will make up for the Blue Devils' lack of size down low.

With this athleticism comes the Blue Devils' ability to push the ball in transition and defend with full-court pressure, something that head coach Mike Krzyzewski's Duke teams have rarely done since winning a national championship in 2000-01.

"Jabari Parker has got a skill level that you just don't see that often. I would put him on the Grant Hill level of being able to do multiple things," said Jay Bilas, ESPN college basketball analyst and a former player and coach at Duke. "Posting up, he can play with his back to the basket, he can play facing it—he's really, really impressive. I'm going to be interested to see how Coach K uses him throughout the course of the year."

But Duke's history with highly-touted freshmen has been a difficult one as of late. Three seasons ago, Kyrie Irving came to the Blue Devils as the No. 3 ranked player in his recruiting class. Irving singlehandedly altered Duke's playing style, but a foot injury sidelined him for most of the year and forced the Blue Devils to reinvent themselves. Only reaching the Sweet 16 that season, Duke was ultimately left with questions of what could have been.

After Irving departed for the NBA and was the top overall selection by the Cleveland Cavaliers, combo guard Austin Rivers came to Duke, also ranked third in his class. Rivers led the Blue Devils to an up-and-down season that culminated in an upset to 15th-seeded Lehigh in the squad's first NCAA tournament game. In a season where locker-room tensions reportedly ran high with the freshman star, Duke fans widely consider Rivers' one-year tenure in Durham to be a disappointment.

With Parker now set to start his freshman campaign ranked No. 2 in his class behind Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins, many believe he, too, will be a one-and-done at the college level. Even his Duke teammates acknowledge the possibility that Parker's time as a Blue Devil could be fleeting.

"A lot of us probably figure that we won't be around him for too long—probably for just this season," said senior forward Josh Hairston, who often guards Parker in practice. "Even in the summer when he was here, I told that I was going to push him.... I try to push him as much as I can and make him work."

Although Parker said decisions about his NBA future will be made at the last minute, the combination of his calm demeanor and killer instinct on the basketball court should be well worth the price of admission this season.

"Whether he is a one-year and that's it or not—Jabari is really good. And he's a team player, and he's a champion," Krzyzewski said. "To have four state championships in the state of Illinois is incredible.... It's beyond belief, and that's who this kid is."