The latest rumor mill has Tony Parker going to Ohio State. We will
see.
I will begin this post with a caveat: I have no insider information and I have never spoken to anyone with insider information about Tony Parker.
With that said, I don’t think Tony Parker is going to be a Blue Devil. I think he likes Duke as a friend but in the end he just isn’t that into them.
The rumors have been swirling today (Tuesday) that Parker could possibly commit to Ohio State as early as Friday, December 9.
Some of fellow bloggers and Twitter users have been dropping hints that Parker had cooled on Duke and message board reactions are ranging from everything will be all right, to the sky is falling. Not at all surprising.
Paker, a 6 ft. 9 in, 250lbs center from Georgia, is the 33rd rated player in the class of 2012 and the No. 5 center prospect according to Rivals.com.
He had shown interest in Duke, Memphis, UCLA and Ohio State. He visited Duke back in October and spoke highly on his visit. Many Blue Devil fans were hoping that by landing Parker, Duke would have an inside post presence like they haven’t had since Shelden Williams.
But if the rumors circulating around the Twittersphere are true, Parker will not be a Blue Devil.
And folks, that is okay. It isn’t the end of the world. The sun will rise in the east and set in the west and Duke will be able to win some games in the future.
Some are suggesting Duke’s recent blow out loss to Ohio State may have swayed him to the Buckeyes. That could certainly be true, but do you want a guy that determines a school based on one game?
Obviously missing out on Paker, after the Duke coaching staff, including Mike Krzyzewski spent so much time pursuing him, is a disappointment but the Blue Devils won’t be without big men in 2012.
Marshall Plumlee will be coming off his redshirt year and should be stronger and more ready to contribute. Ryan Kelly is not a prototypical post player, but he is skilled and offers Duke a lot of options offensively for a big man. The Blue Devils also will have Josh Hairston as another body that can be thrown in the mix.
Alex Murphy could play a similar role as Kyle Singer has in the past and play a small four spot, and his game is also versatile like Kelly’s.
Some fans are holding out hope the Mason Plumlee will stick around for his senior season, but the chances of that happening or probably low unless he just falls apart or God forbid suffers an injury. So Duke will not have a lot of front court depth next year, but they will have players.
The of class of 2013 is still looking promising and Shabazz Muhammad is still on the board for the Class of 2012 and could joining shooting guard Rasheed Sulaimon.
So while Parker is talented, and Duke could certainly use him, I’m not going to lose sleep if this rumor turns out to be accurate, and many, including myself, feel it will.
In the end if it was meant to be he would become a Blue Devils but if that isn’t the case so be it, there is always another option.
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Im rather baffled as to why people would get their panties in a wad over the 33rd ranked recruit in the nation. Isnt THAT big of a deal. In my opinion.
Gbinije also is technically a frontcourt player.
Jason I’m going to agree with you here to a point. Ranking aside, Parker would be an asset to Duke’s team, but like you I’m not going to lose sleep if he goes elsewhere. Some fans just think Duke has got to land that “big” guy and Parker is that guy that is left on the 2012 board for them.
Yeah, I kind of think of Gbinije as more of a backcourt guy that might be able to slide down some in the post, but is at most a wing forward not a true 4 and certainly not a 5. But he is good no doubt.
im just curious, where did these rumors originate? what indications are there that tony parker is “cooling” on duke?
Well a pretty reliable Twitter follower of mine made mention of it yesterday and it was on some of the Duke Boards. Now as I prefaced this post with, I haven’t spoken with anyone specifically, but the guy I heard the intel from is @dukehoopblog and is pretty much in the know and has some insight and instincts for the recruiting scene.