By JACOB POLACHECK
For the early part of his high school career, Kris Parker has been a relatively unknown commodity in high school basketball.
However, that all changed Wednesday when 247Sports.com released its 2023 player rankings.
Previously unranked, Parker is now pushing five-star status as the No. 15 overall prospect in the class of 2023.
“My phone has been blowing up. It still is,” Parker said in an interview with ZAGSBLOG Wednesday evening. “It’s just a blessing, though because before today, not many people knew my name. I can’t say it’s anything less than a blessing.”
Parker, the 6-foot-6, 170-pound shooting guard from Crossroad (FL) Academy, says his game is comparable to Hall-of-Famer Tracy McGrady.
“I’m a big guard,” he said. “I shoot the ball at a high level and handle it as well as any guy in the country.”
Parker’s shooting and ball-handling ability has led to some early college interest, with offers from Samford, Louisiana-Monroe, Detroit Mercy and Florida.
He broke down each school:
Samford: “They’re not that far. I want to stay close, but not too close, as well. I like the distance, really.”
Louisiana-Monroe: “I like the way they play. I like their style of basketball, the way they move the ball and the way they play fast.”
Detroit Mercy: “I haven’t really seen them, but the coaches made it clear that with them, everything is like family. It felt real good talking to them.
Florida: “Growing up, I was always a Florida fan. Their coach made it known that with him, he’s always going to develop players. He’s going to do his best to get me to the next level. That sat really well with me.”
With his stock on the rise, Parker says he’s hoping the blue-blood schools start to get involved.
“That’s always been a dream of mine,” he said.
It’s important to note that Parker’s emergence as a national recruit didn’t come out of the blue.
During the 2020-21 high school season, Parker averaged 20.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 0.9 steals per game in 12 games played.
Looking back at his season, Parker says one moment stands out in his mind.
“It was the regional finals,” he said. “We were down early, but we dug in, fought back and ended up winning by 13.
“That would definitely be a highlight for me.”
For most high school sophomores, the attention that comes with being a national recruit would come with immense pressure.
But not for Parker.
“I don’t worship it or anything like that,” he said. “I still go out with my friends. Basketball is what I love to do, so it’s always a priority of mine.
“I play basketball, but I don’t let basketball play me.”
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