Recruiting Report: Jalen Parker (2019)
Every player’s journey in athletics is unique. Often times we see kids who’re playing at a big time Division I program and figure they made the varsity team as a freshman in high school and have been a phenom for some time. That’s not how it goes. Look at this year’s top overall pick in the NBA Draft this summer, Markelle Fultz. He played junior varsity for both of his first two seasons before blossoming into one of the top recruits in the country by the time his senior season rolled around.
For Milford Mill’s Jalen Parker, he also needed time to adjust to the varsity level before really making his presence be known.
“It took a little bit of time for me to get used to the varsity level,” Parker told PrepHoops. “We had a slow start and people were doubting us when we lost our first four games, but after the Governor’s Challenge we started to find our groove and took off from there.”
The Millers finished with a 16-7 overall record that included an appearance in the Baltimore County Championship. They came up short against the eventual county and 4A state champion Perry Hall Gators.
When the season came to an end, Parker began prepping for another AAU season with Crusader Nation. During of which he had a couple of things on his mind for improvement.
“I wanted to focus on getting my right hand stronger,” the 6’7 lefty said. “It was really weak I noticed last season, but I got it much stronger now. I’m still working on my attitude. There are times in games when the ball doesn’t bounce my way it gets to me. I need to learn how to control that and use it towards my advantage.”
Parker put together a nice summer as an easy standout on his AAU squad. His smooth offensive game and his size are basic parts of his game that coaches are attracted to. While he still needs to put on some weight, Parker does a solid job of using his lower body strength and foot positioning when defending a bigger player in the post.
Parker was as standout at PrepHoops’ Top 250 Expo just a week ago. He displayed an array of skills and ability to communicate on both ends.
Towson and Hampton have expressed interest in Parker. Hood College is also among the schools looking at the rising junior. With Milford Mill primed for a big season due to their much improved roster, Parker is likely to help his stock if he can continue his level of play from the summer.