Miller’s Parker will be a Terp

A coach with a connection to his university’s past and his high school’s future helped Mychal Parker make his college choice.

On Wednesday, the Miller School standout decided on the University of Maryland for the next stage of his basketball career.

The 6-foot-6, 195-pound Parker chose the Terrapins over offers from Virginia, Miami, East Carolina, Clemson and Florida.

Maryland’s lead recruiter for Parker was assistant coach Chuck Driesell, the son of former Maryland coach Lefty Driesell. Scott Willard, who took over as Miller’s coach and athletic director at the beginning of the month, was familiar with the younger Driesell from his days at Tilton Prep in New Hampshire.

Chuck Driesell recruited one of Willard’s Tilton players, Alfred Aboya, to Georgetown in 2004, although the Cameroonian forward later decided to attend UCLA.

“I’ve known Chuck for a long time, and if he’s recruiting you, he does it the right way,” Willard said. “[Parker] was up there a few times, so he’s got some familiarity with their staff. He obviously felt comfortable enough to commit to them early.”

With his decision out of the way, Parker can focus on helping the Mavericks defend the VIS Division II state championship they won in March.

“He did express an interest to make the decision earlier rather than later so he could focus on his academics and put together a good senior year,” Willard said.