Cavaliers eye Miller’s Parker

In the past week, Virginia fans have become giddy with the possibility of adding Renardo Sidney, one of the top high school players in the class of 2009. Sidney, who will be visiting Charlottesville this weekend, would certainly make UVa’s class — which already includes point guard Jontel “Bub” Evans and forward Tristan Spurlock — one of the best in the conference.

However, recruiting is usually more about the future than the present.

And, to that end, Virginia coach Dave Leitao has zeroed in on Mychal Parker — a silky-smooth wing player who just so happens to be playing at the nearby Miller School this year.

Parker, a junior North Carolina native who is in his first year at Miller, is considered one of the top prospects in the class of 2010.

By all indications, Virginia is right in the hunt for him.

The well-mannered Parker — he answers most questions with a “Yes, sir” or “No, sir” — told The Daily Progress that he loves Leitao’s disciplinarian style.

“He doesn’t take any junk,” Parker said. “I like that.”

So far, UVa’s stiffest competition appears to be Virginia Tech and Florida. The Gators recently dispatched former Cavaliers assistant coach Rob Lanier to Charlottesville.

The early signing period began on Wednesday, but don’t expect Parker to be committing any time soon. He’ll likely wait until his senior year to make a decision.

Right now, Parker says is still in research mode. He has no definitive list of schools, but says Maryland, Clemson, Notre Dame and Miami have all offered him a scholarship (in addition to the aforementioned programs).

Miller School coach Fred Wawner says Virginia has done an excellent job of recruiting Parker.

“Coach [Bill] Courtney and coach Leitao have done a lot,” Wawner said. “I think he has high-level interest from both state schools, and UVa he’s certainly interested in.

“I haven’t pushed it on him to make any list, but based on our conversations I think he’s certainly interested [in Virginia].”

Parker, rated as a 4-star recruit (out of five) by Rivals.com, says there’s a lot to like about UVa.

“If you need [academic] help, they’re going to give it to you,” he said. “Plus the environment — it’s a really nice environment. It feels like family over there and I really like that.”

The 6-foot-6 Parker emerged on recruiting radars in the eighth grade. That year, he scored 75 points in a middle-school game. His performance included an array of 3-pointers and dunks.

“It was like, ‘Whoa, an eighth-grader is dunking. I’ve never seen that before,’” said Parker, smiling. “I was just feeling it. I was just coming down and shooting it, and it was clicking.”

Parker’s versatility is one of his biggest plusses. In addition to being able to play the wing on the next level, Wawner believes Parker may be capable of playing point guard.

“He’s very good with the basketball,” Wawner said. “I didn’t realize that. He’s a long, tall kid, but is good with the ball and very unselfish. He does whatever he feels like is needed at the time, which has been refreshing. He doesn’t just always have to take over.”

Said Parker: “My thing is I want my team to shine. If I’m not getting off, that’s OK. As long as my teammates are happy and we’re winning, I’m happy.”