Top ranking not important to Parker

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Jabari Parker will have an MRI on his right heel this week, and it will most likely keep him out of the upcoming July evaluation period. It could also mean the 6-foot-8 forward loses his top spot at the No. 1 recruit in the 2013 class.
Parker's father, Sonny, told ESPN Chicago his son is more worried about getting healthy and winning a fourth straight state championship for Simeon than he is about subjective rankings from recruiting experts.
And if recent major talent from Chicago has proven anything, it's that having the top spot does not mean all that much.
Rivals.com had Rose ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2007 recruiting class, behind Michael Beasley and Eric Gordon. All Rose has done since then is lead the Memphis Tigers to the national championship game, earn Rookie of the Year honors and be named MVP two years ago in the NBA.
Chicago native Anthony Davis was not the consensus No. 1 overall prospect, either. Winter Park, Fla.'s Austin Rivers was ranked No. 1 by some recruiting services, including Rivals. The next year, Davis led the Kentucky Wildcats to a national championship, Davis was named National Player of the Year and, in June, was selected No. 1 overall by the New Orleans Hornets.
So when Parker says he does not care about the No. 1 overall ranking, he's not only genuine about it, he's right.
Julius Randle, a 6-foot-9 forward from Texas, is currently ranked No. 2 by most recruiting outlets. He'll choose where he attends school, holding scholarship offers from just about every blue blood school in the country.
Where Parker is more fundamentally sound and rounded out as a player, Randle may be more athletic and has a flair for the dramatic. That alone should put him over the top as the No. 1 ranked recruit, given the free-flowing, open style of AAU basketball.
Point guard Andrew Harrison or his brother, Aaron, also have chances to take over the top spot should Parker lose it.
But whoever goes into the fall season with the top spot, Parker doesn't mind.
"Right now, he's not caught up in the rankings. He's so concerned about winning that state championship for a fourth year," Sonny told ESPN Chicago. "That's more important than the ranking stuff. People are putting it out there because they want something to talk about."

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