Parker
is one of the most sought after recruits of his class, ranking second in the
nation for the class of 2013 according to ESPN. He was formerly ranked number
one before the reclassification of Andrew Wiggins from Huntington Prep in Huntington, West Virgina. Yet, there is much more to Jabari Parker outside of his basketball
talent. When Parker is on your team, not
only do you get an extremely gifted athlete, but also a faith-devoted, family
oriented, leader.
A
devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Parker says
that his faith has greatly structured the well-rounded person that he is today.
“[My faith] has
impacted my life so much,” says Parker, “It helps me outside of the court and
helps me master the things I want. [It also] helps obtain a good image because
a lot of people look at that, and I want to make good decisions throughout my
life.”
Although Parker
recently announced that he will go to college in 2013 as opposed to immediately
pursuing his Mormon mission following high school, it is “still in the clouds,”
he says as to what he plans to do after his freshmen school year.
“I still haven’t
decided, but you usually go [on a mission] at age 19.”
In
addition to his faith, Parker also credits his family and friends at church for
being there to support him and help him develop both on and off the court.
“My parents and other
family members are who I look up to. They’re always there for me. People at
church have also helped in my spiritual growth. My brother has helped me by training
me and getting my body together. He’s been helping me a lot.”
Previously injuring his
right foot, Parker played in his first game in four months at the Chicago Elite
Classic held at the UIC Pavilion on December 1st. After playing about half of
the game due to a high score margin, Parker confidently stated, “The foot is
good. Around my injury, like the ankle, it’s kind of sore because I’m not used
to running. This is my first time running a lot, so it’s good.”
Attending the Classic
were Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, DePaul head coach Oliver Purnell, and
University of Illinois head coach John Groce. Out of those three, Izzo is the
only man left standing in the race for Parker. However, this may not have been
the case at this time last year when Bruce Weber was still coaching the
Fighting Illini and Illinois was still on Jabari Parker’s list.
“Our relationship’s
been real good,” Parker says of Weber, “He’s [known] me longer than any of
these head coaches in college basketball. I feel like we had a relationship. He
knew me. I knew him. I liked his style, and I would have probably considered
him if he [hadn’t left Illinois.]”
Parker says that he has
only spoken with Weber once since he made the move to Kansas State.
“I’ve talked to him one
time. That was in the spring, but the recruiting process kind of went down, and
it just went off the wall as soon as I made my decision.”
As for his awaited
decision regarding where he will attend school next fall, Parker says, “It’s
just a lot of things that I have to worry about, and I’m trying to focus on
things that are going to help me [in the future]. [My family] makes it my own
decision. They don’t base it off anybody else. I don’t base my decision off anybody
else.”
Parker does base one
thing off of somebody else, and that is Chicago Bulls and former Simeon
superstar Derrick Rose.
“I compare myself [with
Derrick] as far as just trying to impact Simeon in the best way I could.
Everything that he had I want it --- state championships, individual accolades.
I just want to beat him because that’s my competitive nature. I just want to
leave Simeon with almost being the top dog.”
Those are high
expectations for Parker coming out of a school with such a profound basketball
history as Simeon Career Academy. With at least four alumni having NBA
experience, Parker has had some big shoes to fill.
“It’s been good playing
at Simeon. You look at a lot of people, and I look up to them. They went to
your school, and it gives you another reason to play just as hard.”
Simeon is also the home to former high school
basketball star Ben Wilson. Wilson, who was shot to death just prior to his
senior season, was the first Chicago basketball player to be named the top high
school basketball player in the country. Parker had Wilson’s iconic number 25
stitched to the team’s sneakers as a sign of respect for the Simeon great and
was featured in the ESPN 30/30 special “Benji”.
Parker says of the
“Benji” experience, “It was good. I just wanted to be there to support him. I
know he’s not alive, so every time I get an opportunity I want to pay homage.”
Giving back and giving
service to others is a very important part of Jabari Parker’s life. If he was
not playing basketball, Parker says that he’d “probably be giving back to [the]
community,” he says, “I’ve always wanted to be a community activist because
there’s a lot of people that made it and supported me and are the reasons why I
am succeeding today.”
Parker is expected to
make his big college decision before the end of winter. Until then, he will be
focusing on his goals for this season at Simeon.
“The most important
goal for this year is winning the state championship. That’s what I want to
win. All of the other individual accolades can handle itself, but I just want
to anticipate every game like it’s my last.”
