Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Simeon Academy had a sloppy game after coming back from Tennessee on Sunday. It was so sloppy that they won 61-38. That’s how good they are.
“Everybody was sloppy,” Jabari Parker said, “even me.”
Head Coach Robert Smith excused the effort, but he knows Simeon will be in for trouble Wednesday night against No. 2 Morgan Park if it continues.
“We had an eight-and-a-half, nine-hour bus ride (Sunday),” Smith said. “We didn’t get back to Chicago until 7:30. Guys were probably a little worn down. We saw some good stuff defensively. That’s all we’re really concerned about, especially going into our next game. It is going to be a war. They are the second-best team right now in the state. They are really good. I understand that. Everybody understands that — I hope they do. We’re not looking past them. We don’t think we’re better than them. We’re just hoping to come out with a win.”
Parker has started to look sharp though as the season continues, which is bad news for every other high school basketball team in Illinois. The Wolverines have won 3 straight state titles and are going for number 4 this year.
The Duke bound forward registered game-highs of 20 points and 11 rebounds to go along with four assists and three blocked shots. If that is the Parker we can expect at Duke, then college basketball fans everywhere are in for a real treat. For now though, Parker will be no. 2 Morgan Park’s problem to solve and they shouldn’t expect the Wolverines to come out sloppy.
