Recruiting Report: Daniel Parker Jr. (2018)
BLUE SPRINGS — He’s one of the better football prospects in the Kansas City area, but 2018 forward Daniel Parker Jr. is showing he has skills on the hardwood as well. At 6’5, 250-pounds, the 2018 forward is a big…
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Continue ReadingBLUE SPRINGS — He’s one of the better football prospects in the Kansas City area, but 2018 forward Daniel Parker Jr. is showing he has skills on the hardwood as well.
At 6’5, 250-pounds, the 2018 forward is a big post player with a nice jumper with range and serves not only as a physical presence in the paint, but can step away from the basket and transition into a stretch 4.
His development as a basketball player is even more impressive when you consider he doesn’t focus on basketball during the summer.
He served as a standout defensive end for a Blue Springs squad that went 11-3 in the fall and advanced all the way to the Class 6 state championship game. Although Parker Jr. declined our invitation to talk about his football recruiting, he is widely reported to hold numerous high major offers.
This winter, he has helped Blue Springs start the season 5-4. Parker Jr. has teamed with guards RJ Lawrence and Tyree King to form a strong inside-outside combination.
“I would say we play really good when we play together, when one person starts to do their own thing then we kind of lose it,” Parker Jr. said. “I bring a great inside out game to our team, Blue Springs really hasn’t had a big post presence in a couple of years and I feel I bring that to the table.”
Parker Jr. says he has developed chemistry with his teammates RJ Lawrence and Tyree King. He has been close to Tyree due to football and track and says he has known RJ since the sixth grade.
“I love playing ball with those two guys,” he said.
Parker Jr. says his dad, David Spruell and RJ Lawrence’s father, Ray Lawrence, have all been influential to his basketball career.
“They have really blossomed me into the player I am today, an they have been big mentors in my life,” he said.
Parker Jr. says he enjoyed watching Charles Barkley, a Hall of Famer who was an undersized big man.
“He wasn’t always the tallest big man in his matchups but he dominated almost everyone he went against,” he said. “A nice post player with a bit of finesse game.”