PREP BASKETBALL SIGNINGS : Parks One of Two Big Men From California to Commit to Duke

Cherokee Parks of Marina High School, one of the most sought-after basketball players in Orange County history, signed a letter of intent Wednesday with Duke.

But Parks, a 6-foot-11 center, wasn’t the only new big man to commit to the Blue Devil program.

Duke also signed Erik Meek, a 6-10 center from San Pasqual High in Escondido. Meek averaged 28.5 points and 12.5 rebounds as a junior and has been a two-time Times’ All-San Diego County selection.

Other county players signing letters of intent were John Molle of Irvine (San Diego State), Ocean View’s Marcel TenBerge (Colorado State) and Santa Margarita’s Chris Hacker (Cal Poly Pomona).

Wednesday was the first day high school players could sign letters of intent.

Parks, who played with Meek in a summer league two years ago, said he is excited about the two becoming teammates. He wouldn’t say who he thought would be the true center and who would move to power forward.

“It depends on how both of us mature,” Parks said. “We could go with a two-man inside game.”

Duke is 231-101 in the past 10 seasons and has made four Final Four appearances in the past five years. The Blue Devils lost to UNLV in last year’s championship game.

Parks chose Duke over Arizona, Arizona State, Kentucky and UCLA. He orally committed to Duke on Oct. 22, one day after visiting the Durham, N.C., campus.

Earlier in the fall, Meek narrowed his choices to Kansas, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Duke. He took recruiting trips to each campus, with Duke as his final visit last weekend.

“I feel we could both play there,” Meek said. “I didn’t see going to Duke as a situation where they have so many players that I wouldn’t be able to play.

“The number four and five spots (power forward and center) are kind of the same thing at Duke. I’d be able to be more versatile there.”

Last season, Parks averaged 22.1 points, 13.4 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots a game while shooting 59% from the field.

A three-year starter, he has averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds a game since his sophomore year. He was the top vote-getter in the recent “Best of the West” high school all-star team, which is selected by coaches, scouts and media members.

Parks, who has a 3.2 grade-point average, says he is undecided on his college major.

Molle, a 6-foot-5 guard who averaged 20.9 points and 7.5 rebounds a game last season, had orally committed to San Diego State this fall. Molle, who has a 2.8 grade-point average, plans to study business in college.

TenBerge, a 6-8 center, averaged eight points and six rebounds for Ocean View as a junior, despite playing half the season with a broken finger.

TenBerge also visited Fordham and Northern Arizona before signing with Colorado State. He has 3.7 grade-point average and will study business.

Hacker, a 6-8 center, averaged only five points and four rebounds as a junior, but his coach, Roger Holmes, said the center’s performance in the Snow Valley basketball camp at Westmont College last summer helped raise his stock.

Hacker has a 3.1 grade-point average and plans to major in business. He did not make any other recruiting visits.

Two other county players, Tes Whitlock of Loara and Mark Moneypenny of Mater Dei, said Wednesday that they’re still undecided on their college choices.

Whitlock, one of the top guard prospects in the nation, has visited Arizona State and Long Beach State but has yet to take his entrance exams.

Moneypenny, a 6-10 center, said he plans to sign in the spring. A reserve on last year’s state championship team, Moneypenny is considering Syracuse, Fordham, Rider and the University of San Diego.

Times staff writer Tom Hamilton contributed to this story.