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Duke’s Jabari Parker will discuss options with Mike Krzyzewski next week

parker

With the NBA deadline for underclassmen to enter the 2014 NBA Draft 15 days away (April 27), some of the nation’s best players are still going through the process of gathering the information needed to make a solid decision. The NCAA has a withdrawal deadline of April 15, but many programs will advise their players to use the NBA calendar when going though this process.

One such player still evaluating his options is Duke’s Jabari Parker, who earned first team All-ACC and All-America honors after his freshman season in Durham. Projected to be a high lottery pick, one would assume that the decision for Parker is a simple one: take the money and run.

However that is not the case, and in an interview on ESPNLA 710 in Los Angeles on Friday Parker stated that he’ll sit down with Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski next week to discuss his options. During the interview, Parker also noted that he doesn’t feel that a return to Duke for his sophomore season would be a risky move.

“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.”


With many early Top 25 rankings operating under the assumption that Parker won’t return, Duke is still a team expected to contend for a national title in 2014-15. The arrival of highly regarded freshmen Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow (Grayson Allen is also a commit, and they’re still in the running for another high-level big in Myles Turner) will certainly help in that regard, and there will be experience as well with guards Quinn Cook and Rasheed Sulaimon and forward Amile Jefferson back as well.

And it should be noted that Rodney Hood has yet to officially declare, despite reports last month that he was leaning towards doing so.

If Parker were to decide that he’s better off returning for his sophomore campaign, Duke would be the clear favorite to cut down the nets in Indianapolis in the eyes of many.

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