Wing guard Mychal Parker of The Miller School (Va.) has been a hot commodity since he put up a strong showing on the AAU circuit, attracting attention from all over the country. "Oh man, pretty much everyone is calling. My phone rings all the time. Tennessee, Florida, UCLA, all of the ACC [is interested]. He's got a suitcase full of letters. He gets about 20 of them a day," said Parker's father, Omar Parker.

Maryland is one of the schools that has recently jumped into the mix. Though the Parkers prefer not to discuss specific offers - "Most all of them have offered," Omar Parker said - it's apparent there is serious interest on both sides of the equation.

"They've called a couple times. They're good guys. They said they've liked him since they saw him play and they would like to have a chance to have him in their program," said Omar Parker, formerly a semi-pro ballplayer in Ohio and New York.

"I know the coach there [Gary Williams] is a very good coach. He was the coach at Ohio [State] at one time. He turns out good individuals, it seems like, and he definitely knows how to coach because he's won at every place he's been.

The younger Parker is a gifted slasher and ballhandler at 6-6, rated the No. 46 player in the Class of 2010. An excellent athlete as well, he'd fit well into Maryland's offensive attack, his father said.

"I know they're gonna run on you and they let athletes be athletes," he said.

Parker has a long laundry list of schools interested in him, no surprise considering many deem him among the top five small forwards in his class; his father and coaches, meantime, views him as more of a two-guard. He's working on becoming a more consistent jumpshooter, and his father woul dlike to see him take a more aggressive approach in terms of attacking on offense.

"Mike is a very special player, and I'm not just saying that because he's my son. He just does it so easily and he doesn't want the shine. A lot of kids are flashy. He's a quiet assassin," he said. "He's just a natural scorer.

"They say he's still got growing to do. He could be converted to a ‘one] but he's more of a natrual 'two.'"

Unlike many coveted recruits, Parker -- a 3.0 student with a strong religious faith who transferred from his native North Carolina to Miller, a presitgious boarding school in Charlottesville -- won't focus primarily on which school offers the most immediate playing time or the best chance for individual stardom.

"A good character school, somewhere that has God. Somewhere that has a good team but also places a lot of emphasis on academics and character," Omar Parker said. "He is a good kid and his integirty is intact. He's in good shape with that. He's a ‘yes sir, no sir, kind of guy, and I want him to be in an atmosphere like that."

Of course, basketball factors will play a role as well.

"We'll see what system they run and what kind of class is coming in," he said.

Parker is expected to make a decision next summer. While schools are clamoring for unofficial visits from him, he doesn't have any planned for any time soon.

"I just want him to focus on school and playing his junior year.I just really want him to enjoy school. I just don't want to lead anybody on. We'll see the schools," Parker said.

Stay tuned to TerpCenter.com for the latest on Mychal Parker and other Terps-related recruiting and sports news...