NCAA News Wire
Duke’s Parker to make draft decision Wednesday
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
Duke freshman forward Jabari Parker is expected to meet with coach Mike Krzyzewski Tuesday and announce the next day whether or not he will forgo his final three seasons of eligibility to enter the 2014 NBA Draft.
Parker is the highest-scoring freshman in Duke history. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound Chicago native averaged 19.1 points and 8.7 rebounds while leading the Blue Devils to a 26-9 record, an appearance in the ACC title game and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Parker is considered a consensus top-three selection should he choose to enter the draft.
The All-American was in Oklahoma City on Monday with his parents to accept the Wayman Tisdale Award as college basketball’s top freshman.
According to The Associated Press, Parker said he will look for the place “where he can grow the most.”
“I don’t know where that is right now,” Parker said. “I’ll talk to coach about it and lay out my options, but I’m just really glad I get the best of both worlds.”
The deadline for underclassmen to announce their intentions is April 27. This year’s draft is set for June 26 in New York.
Parker said in the interview last week that he does not see staying in college for another season as a gamble.
“I think there’s no risk,” Parker said. “I think the community at Duke has really done a good job of taking care of my safety and they make sure that everything is done by the playbook.
“My parents, they come from different backgrounds. They don’t even value money. My situation isn’t the best, but they’re not complaining and I’ve been going on this long, so why can’t I wait another year? That’s the mindset in my head that keeps me moving.”
