Duke basketball staff hands rare invite to brawniest 2021 star

One 2021 prospect, a potential magnet for awards at the college level, received a special honor from the Duke basketball coaches on Saturday.

Jabari Parker panned out well as a Duke basketball freshman — even if his one year in Durham ended with a tragic loss. Nowadays, though, the 24-year-old isn’t exactly living up to the expectations that came from gracing a Sports Illustrated cover touting him the “Best High School Basketball Player Since LeBron James.”

Well, Paolo Banchero has the look of a Jabari Parker 2.0 — strong frame, equally strong game — but let’s refrain for now from any James comparisons for his sake.

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Saturday afternoon, the five-star power forward announced on Twitter his becoming only the third 2021 recruit to have received an invitation to become a Blue Devil (the previous two are five-star small forwards Patrick Baldwin Jr. and A.J. Griffin).

In doing so, Banchero joined four-star 2020 guard D.J. Steward as the only high schoolers to have yet picked up an offer at this week’s Peach Jam from Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski..

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There’s a reason the 6-foot-9, 235-pound Seattleite (O’Dea High School) keeps rising the ranks on the 247Sports Composite — currently sits No. 4 overall as the top power forward in his class.

Banchero, who holds about a dozen offers and counting, has a soft shot from outside to go along with trustworthy handles facing the basket.

Need more evidence of his resemblance to Parker?

Like Parker, what he lacks in speed he makes up for with body control and natural basketball instincts. And Banchero seems to be at his best with his back to the basket; plus, he looks more chiseled and bouncier than Parker (one can assume he plays better defense than Parker, who often plays no defense at all).

ALSO READ: Jabari Parker set to team up with Cam Reddish

Old-school moves. Textbook footwork. Earthquake footsteps.

In fact, the 16-year-old’s game is so mighty and advanced that, according to his talk with Stock Risers’ Jake Weingarten earlier in the week, some college coaches are clamoring for him to reclass to 2020 because he already appears more than equipt to excel at the college level.

But Banchero told Weingarten, “I don’t plan on reclassing.”

Though he has regularly spoken highly of Duke — “Great staff and a great school,” he told Weingarten — prying him from his home state may prove to be the toughest challenge.

The seven 247Sports Crystal Ball picks that are in for Banchero at the time of this article all see him landing at Washington (and Gonzaga also appears to be hot on his trail).

That being said, give the staff in Durham — owners of four of the past six No. 1 recruiting classes and what is currently the top 2020 class — a little time to work its magic.

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Banchero told Weingarten he’ll wait until August to start planning official visits. Based on his expectation to stay put in the 2021 class, don’t expect his final college choice — or even a list of finalists, for that matter — to come anytime soon.

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball recruiting updates, analyses, opinions, and predictions.