Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE
Highly-touted and heavily-pursued, 2013 forward Jabari Parker has had nearly every top program after him at one point or another.
Parker trimmed his list of schools down to ten this past summer, but that list has now increased by one as UConn and newly-appointed head coach Kevin Ollie are making a push. Ollie is expected to visit Parker at home next week. He replaced long-time UConn head coach Jim Calhoun and in his two seasons as an assistant in Storrs has put together a strong reputation as a recruiter.
Parker’s father told ESPNChicago.com on Thursday that the 6-foot-8 forward has added the Huskies to his remaining finalists. His father also said that his son plans to his narrow his list down soon and plan his five official visits, although there is no telling who will be among those selected.
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Parker currently attends Simeon Career Academy (IL), a program that is looking for its fourth consecutive state championship this upcoming season.
In addition to the Huskies, Parker is also considering Kentucky, Michigan State, BYU, DePaul, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Kansas, Stanford, and North Carolina.
Parker is expected to trim the list of schools down in the coming weeks. He had scheduled in-home visits with Duke, Michigan State, and North Carolina this week, while Stanford head coach Johnny Dawkins will also be in town next week.
It will certainly be interesting to see who, of the now 11 remaining finalists, make the next cut. With the late addition of UConn, pure speculation would make the Huskies a viable threat because if not, why would Parker even add them to contention this late in his recruitment?
Parker is labeled as the No. 1 prospect in the class by many of the nation’s top media outlets. He is listed at No. 2 overall by Rivals however, who ranks Julius Randle as the top recruit within the senior class.
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