Recruiting Report: Izeah Parker (2019)
One of the most fulfilling things about scouting is seeing a kid grow every season. While some kids come in with a ton of hype surrounding them, others take time to adjust to high school and develop their skill set.
When it comes to Hopewell forward Izeah Parker, it’s been the latter. An athletic 6’7” player who can play inside-out, he’s accepted his role the first two years on a talented Hopewell team, Parker’s always shown a lot of potential, and it’s starting to flourish as he’s putting up big numbers this summer, and is looking to have a big junior season moving forward.
Despite his individual progress, one of the best things about Parker is that he is a team oriented guy that is willing to accept whatever role his team needs, whether it’s in AAU or in high school.
“My goals in July from a team point of view is to go undefeated and go out with a bang,” Parker said, always putting the team first. “From an individual standpoint, my goal is to show these coaches that I can play at the next level and hopefully pick up three more offers while doing so.”
“There’s no other goal other than bringing the state championship back to Hopewell for the first time since 1972. The drought is over, we have the talent and I believe my squad WILL win states this year,” he said.
It isn’t just us that have taken notice of his development and work ethic. College coaches are starting to take interest, as he recently picked up his first division one offer from Campbell, and has a handful of others that have shown serious interest..
“UMBC has shown the most interest as they call and check up on me every other week,” Parker said. “Hampton and VMI have been the most recent to reach out and JMU and VCU have shown interest throughout as well.”
While he’s developed offensively really well, as he’s able to run the floor and score from all over the floor, it’s Parker’s intangibles that really stand out when you talk to him. He’s a two way impact player that will rock the gym with a highlight reel dunk or block, but he’s also a guy that will fight for a 50-50 ball or keep a possession alive by tipping out a rebound to a teammate. These are the things he believes he can bring to a collegiate program immediately.
“I believe I can bring energy whatever level I go,” Parker was quick to point out. “Energy can be felt from and benefit the entire team, and I feel if I continue to work on all aspects of my game, especially my handle and getting stronger, my ceiling can be out of this world.”
While there’s still time to consider to many things in his decision, Parker says he’ll take in multiple factors when the time comes to make his decision in a couple of years.
“When the time comes, I’m honestly just looking for a family feel and and whatever school is going to propel me to where I want to be in my life after college basketball is over.”
Be sure to keep an eye out for Parker this July, as his Team Loaded 757 group will be heading to Spartanburg for the Phenom Hoops Summer Classic, Richmond for the Adidas Showcase and Las Vegas to end the summer. If he continues to develop on both ends of the floor, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a lot of mid major interest turn into offers down the road.