User:TonyTheTiger/Jabari Parker's college career

Jabari Ali Parker is an American basketball player who played for the 2013–14 Duke Blue Devils. That season Parker earned Consensus First-Team All-American and the USBWA National Freshman of the Year recognition. Parker was voted the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Freshman of the Year and placed second for the ACC Player of the Year award to T. J. Warren. He was the first Blue Devil to lead Duke men's basketball in both scoring and rebounding as a Freshman, setting a Duke freshman scoring record along the way. He tied the Atlantic Coast Conference record for most freshman of the week recognitions.

Recruiting
By his junior season, 42 schools sent scouts and coaches to see his September 13, 2011 workout. Among those in attendance were Tom Izzo, Mike Krzyzewski, Bruce Weber, Billy Kennedy, Thad Matta, Bill Self, Roy Williams, Oliver Purnell and Larry Krystkowiak.

On July 11, 2012, Parker tweeted at 4:07 PDT that his school list would be posted at 4:15. He posted his list of ten schools at 4:19 "UK, Stanford, michigan state [sic], Kansas, Florida, Duke, BYU, Georgetown, Depaul, UNC. No order." ESPN described the omission of Illinois as a surprise, but explained that the family was disappointed in the firing of Weber. At the time of the announcement Michigan State and Duke were regarded as the leading contenders, according to the Chicago Sun-Times Michael O'Brien, but the list also brought hope to Parker's hometown DePaul program.

Parker made an unofficial visit to BYU on August 30 to visit with coach Dave Rose. On August 20, he visited Stanford and coach Johnny Dawkins, making Parker's second unofficial visit to the school. Although Illinois was not on the short list of ten schools, they continued to recruit Parker during the summer.

In September, Parker added UConn to his list of 10 finalists. Most of the 11 schools were scheduled for in home visits by their respective coaching staffs. BYU, DePaul, Florida and Kansas had the first visits and Michigan State, Duke, Stanford, North Carolina and UConn were scheduled for later visits. By late September, Kentucky seemed to be out of contention. Only Kentucky and Georgetown did not make in-home visits.

At the beginning of October, Parker named Duke and Michigan State as the first two of his five finalists. He scheduled October official campus visits to each. He added Florida as the third finalist a few days later and rounded out his final five the next day with BYU and Stanford. Later that month, his father stated that Parker was not expected to sign in the November 14–21 early signing period, but would likely commit to a school long before the April 17 — May 15, 2013. When Parker visited BYU, the fans printed thousands of t-shirts and created a viral video.

On December 12, Parker announced that he would select his college on December 20. This announcement came the day before #1-ranked Simeon was to appear on ESPN for its basketball game against #18-ranked DeSoto. On December 20, 2012 he chose to play for Duke University.

Offseason
After he recovered from his high school senior season injury and verbally committed to Duke, Parker was projected by the press as a true freshman starter for Duke. Parker has stated that his expectation of himself will be to fill in Ryan Kelly's shoes, stating "I'll replace what Ryan Kelly has done, I play the same position, we're about the same size. I can pick up what he laid down". Parker's expectations of himself were echoed by the press who expect him to help offset the loss of seniors Mason Plumlee, Seth Curry and Kelly. In late April 2013, ESPN's Jason King projected Duke as a top 5 team noting "The biggest reason for optimism is incoming freshman Jabari Parker." A few days later USA Today journalists Nicole Auerbach and Scott Gleeson projected Duke as the number 4 ranked team and stated "Jabari Parker will make an immediate impact". On April 30, ESPN's Eamonn Brennan went so far as to name him a second team 2013-14 pre-offseason All-American selection.

On May 2, Duke announced that Parker had officially signed his National Letter of Intent (NLI). The Charlotte Observer reported that Parker signed his NLI at Simeon on May 1 and that he would wear the number 1, a number only previously worn at Duke by Kyrie Irving. Parker will begin his Duke career in the 2013 Champions Classic at his hometown United Center against Wiggins' 2013–14 Kansas Jayhawks. In June 2013, Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy named Parker the second best power forward (behind Doug McDermott) for the upcoming season. During the summer, he participated in the Nike sponsored Chi-League, a 9-weekend 10-team Chicago summer pro-am league, where he teamed with Alexander.

Preseason
On September 6, Sporting News named Parker to its preseason All-American first team (along with Doug McDermott, Marcus Smart, Mitch McGary and Andrew Wiggins), while teammate Rodney Hood was a third team selection. USA Today named him to the its preseason first team as well (along with McDermott, Smart, Randle and Wiggins. Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook named Parker a preseason second team All-American, while naming teammate Rasheed Sulaimon a fourth team selection. CBS Sports selected Parker as a preseason All-American (second team) selection along with teammate Hood (third team). As Duke began its training camp, Krzyzewski said the team would be built around Hood and Parker.

On October 16, Parker was named preseason All-ACC along with Hood, C. J. Fair, Joe Harris and Jerian Grant. With Hood and Parker, Duke earned 50 of the 54 first place votes, making them the media's choice as the ACC favorite. Parker was also named the preseason ACC Rookie of the Year. On November 4, he was named to the preseason 10-player watchlist for the Wayman Tisdale Award along with Tyler Ennis, Gordon, Aa Harrison, An Harrison, Kasey Hill, Randle, Wayne Selden, Wiggins, and James Young. He was also on the 15-man Oscar Robertson Trophy Preseason Watch List. Parker was one of nine freshmen named to the 50-man Wooden Award preseason watchlist.

On October 18, Duke held its "Countdown to Craziness", Midnight Madness celebration. Parker scrimmaged with what appeared to be a group of starters: Amile Jefferson, Hood, Andre Dawkins and Quinn Cook. After Duke's preseason exhibitions, Evan Daniels of FOX Sports and Scout.com predicted Parker would average 20 points as a freshman.

Regular season
On November 8, Parker debuted with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block against Davidson. He made his first five field goals for the Blue Devils. Parker became Krzyzewski's fifth freshman to debut with 20 points and was part of Duke's first game with four 20-point scorers (along with Hood, Cook and Sulaimon) in school history. For his efforts, Parker earned the ACC Rookie of the Week on November 11. On November 13, Parker earned his second Sports Illustrated cover as part of a four-version set of regional covers depicting college basketball's greatest rivalries on the College Basketball Preview Issue. Parker and North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball player James Michael McAdoo represented the Carolina–Duke rivalry on one of the four regional versions. On November 12 in the Champions Classic at his hometown United Center, Parker posted 27 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block in a losing effort against Wiggins' Kansas Jayhawks. The game was part of a doubleheader that was well-hyped and widely covered in the press. On November 15, Parker posted a double-double with 21 points, and 10 rebounds as well as 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. Parker became 34th-year head coach Krzyzewski's first freshman to debut with three consecutive 20-point performances. As a result, he was named co-ACC Player of the Week (with Olivier Hanlan) and ACC Rookie of the Week on November 18 and was ranked among the ACC leaders in several statistics (23.3 points/game - 2nd, 8.3 rebounds/game – T-2nd, .688 three-point percentage – 1st). With three more 20-point efforts,  he earned his third consecutive ACC Rookie of the week on November 25. Parker is the first NCAA Division I freshman since Eric Gordon of the 2007–08 Indiana Hoosiers to open his career with six consecutive 20-point efforts and the first Duke player to open a season with six consecutive 20-point performances since Art Heyman had ten as a junior for the 1961-62 Blue Devils. According to ESPN, when he scored 27 points in Duke's seventh game against Alabama on November 27, he joined Gordon and Kevin Durant of the 2006–07 Texas Longhorns as the only Division I freshmen in the past 10 seasons to score 20 or more in each of their first seven games. Duke Athletics, only credits Durant and Parker (not Gordon) with having scored 20 in their first 7 games, but that disagrees with Associated Press and STATS LLC reporting used by ESPN, which claims that a first half injury in the 2007–08 Hoosier's eighth game kept Gordon from continuing his streak. Durant's streak was ended by the (No. 11 ESPN/USA Today; No. 9 AP) Tasmin Mitchell/Glen Davis-led on a night when Durant posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Parker's streak was ended at seven by Aaron Gordon's number four ranked 2013–14 Arizona Wildcats on November 29. On December 16, Parker 21 points and 6 rebounds against Gardner–Webb, and he tallied 23 points and 8 rebounds against UCLA on December 19. As a result of his 22-point 8-rebound average for the week, Parker earned his fourth ACC Rookie of the Week honor on December 23 and Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week on December 24 by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). The UCLA game marked his 9th 20 point game and 3rd double double of the season. He passed Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng and tied JJ Redick and Johnny Dawkins for third on Duke's freshman 20-point game list. Parker had his 10th 20-point game against Eastern Michigan on December 28, tying Mike Gminski for second among Duke freshmen.

Parker had his first single digit game in Duke's 2013–14 ACC season opening 79–77 loss against Notre Dame. With the loss, Duke fell from the top 10 in the AP Poll for the first time in 122 weeks of the poll (since November 19, 1997). On January 18, Parker scored 23 against NC State, tying him with Gene Banks for most 20-point games by a Duke freshman. On January 22, Parker posted 17 points, 3 blocks and a career-high 15 rebounds against Miami with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in attendance. On January 25, Parker tallied 14 points, 3 steals and 14 rebounds against Florida State to help Mike Krzyzewski win his 900th game at Duke. His effort at Florida included 10 offensive rebounds, a Duke freshman record. As a result, Parker earned his fifth ACC freshman of the week recognition on January 27. Parker scored 21 points and had 11 rebounds on January 27 against #18 Pittsburgh. With his 12th 20-point game, he established a Duke record for freshmen and moved into 6th place on the ACC freshman list. Against number two ranked Syracuse on February 1, Parker posted 15 points, nine rebounds and 2 steals, leaving him just shy of his fourth consecutive double-double. On February 3, Parker earned Co-ACC rookie of the week with Tyler Ennis marking his sixth selection. Later that day, Parker posted 21 points along with 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks against Wake Forest, marking his 13th 20-point game, which tied him with Mark Price for fifth all-time among ACC freshmen. On February 8, Parker scored 29 points and added 16 rebounds and 3 blocks against 2013–14 Boston College Eagles men's basketball team. This marked career highs in points and rebounds, placed him in the lead in ACC double-doubles for the season and moved him into fourth place tie among ACC freshmen with Tyler Hansbrough for 20-point games. Parker earned his second ACC player of the week and seventh ACC rookie of the week recognition on February 10. On February 15, Parker posted 23 points (including the game-winning dunk), 8 rebounds and 2 blocks against Maryland, marking his 15th 20-point performance and tying Joe Smith for third on the all-time ACC freshman list. On February 17 Parker earned his eighth and fourth consecutive ACC Freshman of the Week honor. This left him two short of the record 10 ACC Freshman of the Week honors set by Kenny Anderson (1990) and tied by Hansbrough (2006). Parker posted consecutive double doubles on February 18, 20 and 22 against Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Syracuse, respectively. For the week, Parker avereged 17.3 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. On February 24, Parker won his fifth consecutive ACC Freshman of the Week honor, giving him nine which tied Austin Rivers' school record and leaving him one shy of the ACC record. On March 5, Parker posted 19 points and 10 rebounds against Wake Forest. On March 8, in the second Carolina–Duke rivalry game of the season, Parker had a career high 30 points, which was the 4th highest Duke freshman single-game total (behind JJ Redick, Kyrie Irving and Johnny Dawkins) and the 2nd highest total ever by a freshman in the history of the rivalry (Walter Davis). His 16th 20-point game ties him with Stephon Marbury for second among ACC freshman all-time, behind only Anderson's total of 19. On March 10, he earned a record-tying tenth ACC rookie of the week honor in the final week of the regular season.

Postseason
In postseason play, Parker yielded a 20-point performance in the semifinals of the 2014 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament against NC State on March 15, which marked his 17th such effort and moved him into sole possession of second place on the ACC freshman list, ahead of Marbury. In the March 16 championship game against Virginia, Parker posted his 18th 20-point game, which was one short of Anderson's ACC freshman record. Parker and the team ended the season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a loss to the Mercer Bears. Parker set the Duke record for freshman scoring average (19.1) and became the first freshman to lead the team in both scoring and rebounding.

Watchlists and awards
On January 15, Sporting News selected Parker to its midseason All-American first team (along with Smart, Nick Johnson, McDermott and Kyle Anderson). On January 22, Parker was one of five ACC players (along with Tyler Ennis, C. J. Fair, Rodney Hood and T. J. Warren) who were recognized on the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watchlist. Over the next two days he was selected to the 23-man Oscar Robertson Award watchlist (along with Ennis, Fair, Hood and Lamar Patterson) who were and the 9-player Integris Wayman Tisdale Award Midseason Watch List (along with Ennis) by the United States Basketball Writers Association. On February 13, Parker was one of four ACC players (along with Ennis, Fair and Patterson) who were named to the 30-man Naismith College Player of the Year midseason watchlist. On February 27, he was named one of six finalists for the Tisdale Award and one of fifteen finalists for the Robertson Award. On February 28, he was named one of the 10 semi-finalists for Naismith College Player of the Year. On March 4, Parker (along with sophomore teammates Hood and Amile Jefferson) was selected to the 2013-14 All-ACC Academic Basketball Team, which has an eligibility requirement that a player hold a 3.00 GPA in the most recent semester and for his entire academic career. On March 8, Parker was listed among the 15 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award.

Parker was one of two players unanimously selected to both the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA) All-ACC first team (T. J. Warren) and the Coaches All-ACC Freshman Team (Tyler Ennis). He was also selected to the Coaches All-ACC Basketball first team with the most points, but not unanimously. Parker was voted the ACC Freshman of the Year receiving 72 of 77 votes and placed second for the ACC Player of the Year award, trailing Warren 48–25. Parker also received 4 of the 77 votes for conference defensive player of the year. Parker was USBWA National Freshman of the Year and named to the 2013 Freshman All-American. He was selected to the first team All-ACC Tournament team. Parker also earned John R. Wooden Award All-American Team recognition.

Parker was a 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball All-American first-team selection by The Associated Press, The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports, Bleacher Report, United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), and USA Today. Parker was also named the USBWA District III Player of the Year.