Parks Says He Will Attend Duke

Cherokee Parks of Huntington Beach Marina High School, at the top of UCLA’s basketball recruiting list, said he orally committed to Duke on Monday.

Parks, a 6-foot-11 center, visited the Durham, N.C., campus last weekend and can sign a letter of intent with the Blue Devils Nov. 14. Duke has made four Final Four appearances in the last five years.

Parks, one of the most highly recruited players in the nation, had reduced his list to five schools--Duke, UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State and Kentucky.

UCLA Coach Jim Harrick was not available for comment, and Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski declined comment.

Parks was named The Times’ Orange County player of the year last season, averaging 22.1 points, 13.4 rebounds, 3.5 blocked shots and shooting 59%.

“Everyone was picking me to go to UCLA because I’m from Southern California, and they kept comparing me to Bill Walton,” Parks said. “Everyone figured I would stay home, but I didn’t want to.”