Right: In this photo taken in Chicago, on Tuesday, March 13, 2012, Simeon's Jabari Parker dunks the ball during an Illinois state super sectional playoff basketball game against Evanston. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Jabari might be the best of the bunch. Scholarship offers started when he was in the sixth grade. Back then, they came from Illinois, Brigham Young, Washington, Purdue and Kansas, the Parkers say. UCLA started showing interest, too, and pretty much everyone was offering one by the time he hit high school. To get an idea how big Parker is now, go back to an evening in September, when Simeon hosted an open gym. Not even a practice, mind you, but an open gym. A who's who of coaches jammed the court from baseline to baseline. Krzyzewski was there. So were Izzo and Roy Williams (North Carolina), Thad Matta (Ohio State) and Bill Self (Kansas). In all, some 40 coaches looked on, and as word spread that this was no ordinary session, that something special was happening, fans started packing the place, too. "It was like the movie 'Blue Chips' -- and this was open gym," Sonny says. "The school had been in session a couple days. They closed down the barber shop, they came over to the school. It was packed in the gym. The coaches were coming in limos. It was unbelievable." It's easier to understand why once you've seen Parker, who played varsity as a freshman -- something not even Rose did. Parker might grab a rebound, bring the ball up the court and try to set up his teammates as he runs the offense. The next possession, he might bury one from the outside. He averaged about 20 points last season and could probably score 35 a game, but he makes a concerted effort to play within his team's system and take over only when needed. "He knows we have a good team, so he passes the ball," guard Reggie Norris says. "When it's time for him to step up, he scores." Parker takes pride in getting his teammates chances to shine for college scouts. It's one reason why he's waited to narrow his own list of finalists. You see, he figures that'll keep the scouts coming and give his teammates exposure.
192 MAY 2012 â—? VOICE Magazine voicemagonline.com