This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
December 20th is shaping up to be a big day for BYU's athletic programs. Then again, it could be rather dreary. About four hours before the BYU football team meets San Diego State in the Poinsettia Bowl, high school basketball phenom Jabari Parker — who visited BYU last month and has the Cougars among his top five — will announce his college choice. Parker, the 6-7 swingman who has narrowed his choices to Duke, Stanford, Florida, Michigan State and BYU will make the announcement at Chicago's Simeon High at 2 p.m. MT. Parker's father, Sonny, told USA Today that he doesn't know what his son's choice will be, but it doesn't sound like BYU is at the top of the list. "He hasn't told me where," Sonny Parker, a former NBA player, told the newspaper. "I didn't ask him. It's kind of hard to say. He likes all the schools we've visited. He's hard to read sometimes. He keeps things to himself, so I don't put any pressure on him. I think it will probably be between Duke and Michigan State. That's what I'm thinking." Sonny Parker said Jabari wants to get the decision out of the way and focus on his senior season at Simeon, although he won't officially sign until April. When Jabari Parker visited BYU on Nov. 24, a sellout crowd watched Parker watch the Cougars defeat Cal State Northridge. Parker is ranked as one of the top two players in the country, depending on the recruiting service doing the ranking.