Tony Parker to UCLA

[oldnavy]

So how many top-10 centers are there? Only 30 or 40?

There would be exactly 10 top 10 centers, but I think you knew that...

[MChambers]

There would be exactly 10 top 10 centers, but I think you knew that...

I bet Bobby Cremins could come up with a different number!

[SupaDave]

I went and watched Parker play tonight. Turns out I know a few folks close to the program (but of course) and I get into the gym for free. It wasn't packed at ALL and while I could have sat anywhere - I was invited to sit at the scorer's table. Most don't realize how big a deal this is but usually the scorers get to see the players at every game and they can even tell you a little bit about what to look for and expect.

Parker's squad was pretty much too much for the other team and came out blazing. But honestly, Parker's team is two different teams: a running team when he's not in the game and a Parker watching squad when he's in the game.

Parker seemed a bit winded at times but I'm not surprised at all by that. His team does indeed run. However, his teammates are so skilled that he doesn't have to exert much energy on the defensive end (trust me - it's ALL reserved for offense). He just takes up space on defense - and plays his position well without using much energy (which is actually a desired characteristic in a center).

Parker is vocal when he's on the floor but he probably needs some guidance on talking to his teammates - no matter where he goes. This was a major concern at the scorer's table.

Parker only scored 4 points in the entire second half and finished the game somewhere in the area of 16 and 10. He could have easily dominated the game but the fact of the matter is that the opposing center looked like John Henson in the 9th grade and that his teammates were much bigger and more skilled than those at Douglas.

So the big game is on Thursday. Which will be at Morehouse and yes, I've been invited to attend. So I'll be there.

How lame am I? I had the audacity to interview Parker after the game. TP didn't play almost at all in the 4th quarter and he intimated to me that it was in preparation for the Oak Hill game. There's some things I heard during the game but the fact of the matter is that he told me himself that he hasn't made a decision and if he has then there's no sign of that b/c there wasn't one university represented in the crowd tonight.

Parker: I like him. He's a big, strong, athletic kid. But don't think he's a game changer. He has a lot of getting in shape to do as well as adjusting to the speed of the college game. Honestly, he's a 3-4 year player. He's got the press but I've seen better that were ranked lower. But once he finds his comfort zone - watch out b/c he didn't display any jaw dropping post moves tonight. That will be something to watch for during the Oak Hill game for sure.

I think Oak Hill will present a major test for his team. Miller Grove isn't probably the best coached team and well, we know that Oak Hill comes with the throttles open. Not sure if they will be able to handle them. I'm reserving all judgement on what I saw tonight until I see Parker against some real competition.

More on Thursday!

Supa "I talk it cause I live it" Dave

[gam7]

How lame am I? I had the audacity to interview Parker after the game. TP didn't play almost at all in the 4th quarter and he intimated to me that it was in preparation for the Oak Hill game. There's some things I heard during the game but the fact of the matter is that he told me himself that he hasn't made a decision and if he has then there's no sign of that b/c there wasn't one university represented in the crowd tonight.

Thanks SupaDave! I've been to some super-packed high school tournaments before, and it actually is a huge benefit to have these connections like those!

If there was no university represented in the crowd, wouldn't that suggest that he has already decided and there was therefore no need for any of his finalists to send someone to watch him play?

[-jk]

...

If there was no university represented in the crowd, wouldn't that suggest that he has already decided and there was therefore no need for any of his finalists to send someone to watch him play?

Or maybe it's a dark period; I don't have a recruiting calendar handy.

I have no idea what he's thinking, other than that he's a kid, and probably doesn't know what he's thinking, himself. (Always the college coach's conundrum.)

-jk

[Newton_14]

I went and watched Parker play tonight. Turns out I know a few folks close to the program (but of course) and I get into the gym for free. It wasn't packed at ALL and while I could have sat anywhere - I was invited to sit at the scorer's table. Most don't realize how big a deal this is but usually the scorers get to see the players at every game and they can even tell you a little bit about what to look for and expect.

Parker's squad was pretty much too much for the other team and came out blazing. But honestly, Parker's team is two different teams: a running team when he's not in the game and a Parker watching squad when he's in the game.

Parker seemed a bit winded at times but I'm not surprised at all by that. His team does indeed run. However, his teammates are so skilled that he doesn't have to exert much energy on the defensive end (trust me - it's ALL reserved for offense). He just takes up space on defense - and plays his position well without using much energy (which is actually a desired characteristic in a center).

Parker is vocal when he's on the floor but he probably needs some guidance on talking to his teammates - no matter where he goes. This was a major concern at the scorer's table.

Parker only scored 4 points in the entire second half and finished the game somewhere in the area of 16 and 10. He could have easily dominated the game but the fact of the matter is that the opposing center looked like John Henson in the 9th grade and that his teammates were much bigger and more skilled than those at Douglas.

So the big game is on Thursday. Which will be at Morehouse and yes, I've been invited to attend. So I'll be there.

How lame am I? I had the audacity to interview Parker after the game. TP didn't play almost at all in the 4th quarter and he intimated to me that it was in preparation for the Oak Hill game. There's some things I heard during the game but the fact of the matter is that he told me himself that he hasn't made a decision and if he has then there's no sign of that b/c there wasn't one university represented in the crowd tonight.

Parker: I like him. He's a big, strong, athletic kid. But don't think he's a game changer. He has a lot of getting in shape to do as well as adjusting to the speed of the college game. Honestly, he's a 3-4 year player. He's got the press but I've seen better that were ranked lower. But once he finds his comfort zone - watch out b/c he didn't display any jaw dropping post moves tonight. That will be something to watch for during the Oak Hill game for sure.

I think Oak Hill will present a major test for his team. Miller Grove isn't probably the best coached team and well, we know that Oak Hill comes with the throttles open. Not sure if they will be able to handle them. I'm reserving all judgement on what I saw tonight until I see Parker against some real competition.

More on Thursday!

Supa "I talk it cause I live it" Dave

Thanks for the report Dave. Interesting. How would you see Parker handling Duke's defensive scheme's with the hedging, help rotation, switching, etc? I get the impression it would take some time for him to learn that, as well as getting into good enough shape to execute in Duke's defense. Is that a fair impression with Parker?

[Oriole Way]

I went and watched Parker play tonight. Turns out I know a few folks close to the program (but of course) and I get into the gym for free. It wasn't packed at ALL and while I could have sat anywhere - I was invited to sit at the scorer's table. Most don't realize how big a deal this is but usually the scorers get to see the players at every game and they can even tell you a little bit about what to look for and expect.

Parker's squad was pretty much too much for the other team and came out blazing. But honestly, Parker's team is two different teams: a running team when he's not in the game and a Parker watching squad when he's in the game.

Parker seemed a bit winded at times but I'm not surprised at all by that. His team does indeed run. However, his teammates are so skilled that he doesn't have to exert much energy on the defensive end (trust me - it's ALL reserved for offense). He just takes up space on defense - and plays his position well without using much energy (which is actually a desired characteristic in a center).

Parker is vocal when he's on the floor but he probably needs some guidance on talking to his teammates - no matter where he goes. This was a major concern at the scorer's table.

Parker only scored 4 points in the entire second half and finished the game somewhere in the area of 16 and 10. He could have easily dominated the game but the fact of the matter is that the opposing center looked like John Henson in the 9th grade and that his teammates were much bigger and more skilled than those at Douglas.

So the big game is on Thursday. Which will be at Morehouse and yes, I've been invited to attend. So I'll be there.

How lame am I? I had the audacity to interview Parker after the game. TP didn't play almost at all in the 4th quarter and he intimated to me that it was in preparation for the Oak Hill game. There's some things I heard during the game but the fact of the matter is that he told me himself that he hasn't made a decision and if he has then there's no sign of that b/c there wasn't one university represented in the crowd tonight.

Parker: I like him. He's a big, strong, athletic kid. But don't think he's a game changer. He has a lot of getting in shape to do as well as adjusting to the speed of the college game. Honestly, he's a 3-4 year player. He's got the press but I've seen better that were ranked lower. But once he finds his comfort zone - watch out b/c he didn't display any jaw dropping post moves tonight. That will be something to watch for during the Oak Hill game for sure.

I think Oak Hill will present a major test for his team. Miller Grove isn't probably the best coached team and well, we know that Oak Hill comes with the throttles open. Not sure if they will be able to handle them. I'm reserving all judgement on what I saw tonight until I see Parker against some real competition.

More on Thursday!

Supa "I talk it cause I live it" Dave

Thanks for the great information and insight.

I have a strong feeling that Parker will make a huge mistake if he goes to OSU instead of Duke.

I think he will be much better coached and better-conditioned at Duke, and I think conditioning issues will be a problem for him his freshmen season if he goes elsewhere. Matta is an elite recruiter of high school big men, but the fact most of them (of the recent highly-ranked/drafted bigs) have all flamed out in the NBA reflects poorly on their conditioning and development of big men.

[SupaDave]

Thanks for the report Dave. Interesting. How would you see Parker handling Duke's defensive scheme's with the hedging, help rotation, switching, etc? I get the impression it would take some time for him to learn that, as well as getting into good enough shape to execute in Duke's defense. Is that a fair impression with Parker?

Put it like this, I saw Marshall last summer and he's just as mobile as Parker - and much more active. Both are tenacious rebounders - even if they both seem a bit out of control at times. Parker's team doesn't require him to do much more than man the paint. HOWEVER, I did see Parker contest a shot on the perimeter. This guy is no chump.

[moonpie23]

thanks for some "real" info...at least it's from TP's mouth...

[Greg_Newton]

Put it like this, I saw Marshall last summer and he's just as mobile as Parker - and much more active. Both are tenacious rebounders - even if they both seem a bit out of control at times. Parker's team doesn't require him to do much more than man the paint. HOWEVER, I did see Parker contest a shot on the perimeter. This guy is no chump.

Thanks for the report. I watched his AAU team play against Isiaah Austin and Chicken Knowles' team this summer, and he looked solid (not nearly as good as Poythress - who was easily the best player on the floor [sigh...] - but that's neither here nor there). He did have trouble with Austin's length (got a couple inside shots blocked, had Austin score over him a couple times), but generally looked like I expected him to. I'll be very interested to see how I does against AJ Hammons (a beast in his own right), who's a huge 7-footer but not freaky long or athletic like Austin. As a side note, I watched Hammons absolutely dominate MP3 last year - I really think Purdue got a steal - so it should be a pretty good test of how Tony fares against, basically, a prototypical, big college-level center.

[JasonEvans]

I have a strong feeling that Parker will make a huge mistake if he goes to OSU instead of Duke.

Those are not the only options. In fact, they may not even be the two most likely options at this point.

-Jason "'I don't Tony really knows what he is going to do at this point, but there are a lot of options on the table" Evans

[airowe]

Tony on ESPN tonight at 8PM EST tonight: http://www.dukehoopblog.com/2011/12/...ball-showcase/

Julius Randle and his Prestonwood squad are also on at 7 on ESPNU.

[Starter]

Parker: I like him. He's a big, strong, athletic kid. But don't think he's a game changer. He has a lot of getting in shape to do as well as adjusting to the speed of the college game. Honestly, he's a 3-4 year player. He's got the press but I've seen better that were ranked lower. But once he finds his comfort zone - watch out b/c he didn't display any jaw dropping post moves tonight. That will be something to watch for during the Oak Hill game for sure.

Very good report. I'd throw in that Elton Brand looked a whole lot different the day he stepped on Duke's campus than he did in high school -- bodywise, game-wise, you name it. (This isn't to say I think Parker's going to be another Brand, just that Parker will probably look a great deal different this time next year.)

[BD80]

Brothers? I thought some common-tater (sic) on espn had Miles and Mason as twins, so adding Marshall makes them triplets, a far more important designation than mere brothers. (Sorry, reminded me of story where a reporter asked an obvious set of triplets the following question: "Are you three twins?) ...

They weren't just twins, they were amphibious!

There would be exactly 10 top 10 centers, but I think you knew that...

It varies year to year

If there are five "top-ten" centers, and three commit to Monty Hall, er... John Calipari, should you change your selection between the other two "big man" recruits?

Answer in white (no pun intended):


Recruit all 13 top ten guards, because Duke can't recruit big men

[jacone21]

I like this Parker kid. He seems talented.

[wgl1228]

I really like what I'm seeing from Parker tonight. I hope this negative outlook is not true.

[wgl1228]

N.C. State will be very good in a few years as well. This Tyler Lewis is a great distributor of the ball.

[Dukehky]

According to the two announcers of this game, if they had coached these players in the Big East or the ACC, they would win it in two years... Nah.

Parker looks solid, but its high school basketball, still hope he comes though. Maybe Mason won't leave...

[Saratoga2]

Tony looks to be a true 6'9" 270# low post player as billed. He is also very long of arm so was a load inside and has developed moves and can take advantage of his bulk withot traveling. Very good overall performance against Oak Hill. His free throw shooting indicated a good form even though he had a few misses. The game was played at a very high pace and I think it left the big guys sucking wind at times, also Tony needs to learn to box out better but did show signs of having soft hands both on offense and rebounding. He would be a very positive addition to Duke next year and would bring the strong inside player that we won't have without him. Let us hope all the talk on this thread is uninformed and that there is still a good shot of getting him.

[Saratoga2]

N.C. State will be very good in a few years as well. This Tyler Lewis is a great distributor of the ball.

Excellent ball handler with great vision and a great penetrator. Maybe the college guards and defenses will offer more challenges that he had tonight. Oak Hill shot 100%from the line including quite a few from Tyler. Maybe we should find out how they teach free throw shooting.