Miller Grove stumbled mightily during the recent City of Palms event and to some degree, so did Tony Parker.  The big man prospect with soft hands and a good paint presence took time to talk with Blue Devil Nation about his teams struggles and how they would bounce back.  But Parker has four or maybe even five programs sitting on pins and needles awaiting his decision, one that has been delayed time and time again and a process that has confused many analyst.  Parker is a key prospect for the Duke Blue Devils and they offered him early on and have been sure to let him know he was there man, even dropping other players from their radar.  But Parker likes Ohio State a lot as well and there are many who feel there is a split with those who are helping to make the decision.  On the west coast, UCLA is hoping he wants to join them with Shabazz Muhammad.  And Kansas?  They're making a late run as well but it may be too little too late, or is it?  And Memphis.  Will they get his fifth visit.  Parker shed light on when he could make a decision and BDN has some answers to many burning questions and the latest from Tony Parker via correspondent, Travis Boyd in out latest BDN Premium Interview.  And keep in mind that we are running a 20% off special on a yearly membership through December 26th, which translates into eighty bucks for a years worth of inside information and full site access, so take advantage and join today and next up is Ricardo Gathers - Mark Watson

For those who've yet to see you play, can you describe your game in your own words?

Well, (pause) for those who saw me play just now, that wasn't my game at all, but as a team we've just got to regroup and get back to the fighting mode.  I like to play hard, run the floor, finish strong and just get everybody going.

With all the schools looking at you and Miller Grove losing three games and your play, is that effecting you?

It's really not effecting me, it's just finding myself and ourselves as a team.  We've got a great team, we've got great guys, so this is a little bump in the road and this is probably the best thing that can happen to a strong team because we'll come back even stronger.  We've got a big game coming up, so this is behind us now and we're going to go back to Atlanta and we have a lot of wok to do to get back to Miller Grove basketball and get back to playing how we play.  We've got seven seniors and are finding our way right now.  We're going to be strong and be a pretty good team at the end of the year.

And your school list is ...

Ohio State, Duke, UCLA, Kansas and Georgetown.

Who has been the  (and this is where we get to the latest on Tony P) [private] most aggressive of late in your recruitment?

Probably Kansas.  But all of them are coming hard, it's the end of the year but Kansas is coming on really strong, probably the strongest.

What are you looking for in a program?

Just a great all around program, great atmosphere and all my schools pretty much have that.  So, the atmosphere, the education.  And I'm watching all of the programs now and you get to see what they're doing and how they work.  Somebody that just gets after it and goes after people.

Is everybody in your party, those who will help you with your decision on the same page?

Yes.  They ... we're all on the same page.  Every school has their identity.  You will never see a coach change what he does because that just what he does and that's how he wins.

And what kind of system or play are you looking for in a school?

A hard nose game, somebody that plays hard all the time, a great defensive player.  Basically, just a system. a system like Miller Grove Basketball.

What are your goals for the rest of your high school season?

Just play hard and better my teammates.  If I do that everything else will take care of itself.

Do you ever talk with say Shabazz Muhammad about playing with each other at a school?

I mean, Shabazz is a great guy, we talk all the time.  He's cool. he's fun but we really don't talk about schools. Everybody else talks about it but we're just close.

Probably so, I am closer but probably so that my teammates know I am focusing on them.

You've taken four official visits to Ohio State, Duke, Kansas and UCLA. Is Memphis still in there?

Yes sir.  They're still in there.

So, you have one left, will you take it?

I don't know, I might.  Yes.  The official visits are the best time of your life, so I might take it for the fun but I really don't know.

If you had to pull the trigger today, could you do it?  Could you come to a decision today?

Uh, probably so.

What would the factors of that decision be?

Just who is coming in with me, who is already there.  The program, the atmosphere and just the all around basketball atmosphere, the history of the program.  All that means a lot to me.

So, you do look at rosters and who is coming in carefully.

Yes.

Which roster sets up best for you right now?

Without a doubt Ohio State, they've got the best roster.  They've got to be, it's clear and plain and simple.

But is that the best roster for you to come in?

Jared is leaving,  Aaron is staying, Thomas is gone but the guys they've got coming in, they're pretty good. Ross,Thomson, they're all great guys.

So, you see big time playing time wherever you go right away, right?

Yeah.

Watzone's notes - Both Travis and Dave Telep asked these questions and some guy from Rivals hung around.  If you are to take Tony at his word, he seems to be closing in on a decision and there are signs that his decision could be effecting his teammates as well.  The Georgia Stars had early problems as well, so it cannot help but make on wonder if the way he is handling some things are the proper way to do so.  He glows when talking about Ohio State but Duke is still right there and fits more into the tradition that he mentioned impressed him.  He also said that his party was on the same page when most feel they are not and that he likes the Buckeyes while his parents like Duke.  After hearing from Parker for maybe the twelfth time now per our interviews, the track record shows that you cannot always take him at his word but for the first time in listening to the tape with Tony, I think a serious tone is starting to take hold.  His mention of having fun on the visits is something we told you about early on in that he is enjoying the process.  It did seem kind of silly that he said he might take the Memphis trip just for fun and that pretty much tells you they are out.  And the guy asking the UCLA and play with Muhammad question?  Well, they are out too and no matter what he says about Kansas, I think they are respectable fodder in the battle as well.  Bottom line is Ohio State may seem to lead and they may well, but Duke is right there until announced. [/private]