2013 Recruit: Jabari Parker, Faith Over Stardom!

      What do you think of when you hear about Jabari Parker? Gifted, athletic, and one of the best players in high school since Lebron James. Not many players can say they have been compared to one of the the greatest players in basketball history in only his junior year of high school. With all the accolades and media publicity, none of praises seem to phase him. He is easily the most dominate player on the court, but you can see he doesn't let all the awards and praise go to his head. In his mind he is the same like everyone else, a student athlete. But what some people don't known is that it is his faith that keeps him grounded being a Mormon.

      Being a 17 year old most of the youth uses basketball to define themselves, but what defines Jabari is not only basketball, but his faith. Being a mormon he is a very religious young man. He gets up at 5:30am three days out of the week before school for church. Along with that he is also a youth bible seminary student and also donates his time as a youth basketball instructor. This year he won the National Gatorade Player of the Year Award becoming the fourth junior ever to win this award. In the class he has a 3.6 GPA, on the court he averages 20 points and 9 rebounds, and all of his off court activities are the reason why Jabari won The Gatorade Player of the Year Award!

      What really makes this young man special is that he is one of the most humble players out there. He doesn't have a huge ego, but when he is playing he is the best player out on the court. He will dominate the game and will win. These attribute will make him one of the best players of our time. Most players when they reach that elite level feel that everything is given to them and they are better than everyone else. This is not the type of player Jabari is. Whether it is criticism or praise, he will not get caught up in what everyone else thinks about him. He keeps his focus on the game and his team, which just shows what an outstanding young man and leader he is. When he won the Gatorade Player of the Year Award he gave all the honor to his teammates and family for winning the award. "It takes a village to raise one child, and if it wasn't for my teammates I wouldn't be the man I am today", said Jabari. This is a huge testament to the type of humble person he is.

      What I want people to take away from this article is the even though you may the best player out there doesn't mean you should act like you are the greatest thing to ever touch the face of the earth. People do not like those cocky players who are full of themselves. People love the guy who is a great player, but most of all a great person off the court. Hearing about Jabari just made me automatically want him to be my role model! I can only hope that other people will look up to him the same way I do, as one of the most humble and hungry players out there. One day Jabari may be one of the next big names in the NBA, but you have to watch him to find out. Everyone show him some love too and follow him on twitter: @JabariParker22.

(submitted by: Eddie Praley)