InsideMDSports.com has had the inside scoop on Maryland's recruitment of Miller School (Va.) standout Mychal Parker since the early stages of his recruitment, and today we were first to speak with the 6-foot-5 wing -- rated the No. 42 player in the nation by ESPN.com -- about his commitment to Maryland last night.

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"I talked to coach [Chuck] Driesell last night, and he went wild [after receiving word of the commitment]," Parker told InsideMDSports.com.

"A lot of schools were coming hard after me, but they came really hard," said Parker, who had offers from dozens of high-major programs but chose Maryland primarily because of that interest shown by the staff, as well as head coach Gary Williams' coaching acumen.

Asked what was the biggest factor in his decision, Parker said, "The coaching. I knew I'd get great coaching. Gary Williams is a legend, and all of the coaches there are really good coaches, excellent coaches."

Parker is a dynamic, ultra-athletic slasher who handles the ball and shoots well for his size. With the recruiting process over, he'll now focus on improving his ballhandling and putting together a monster senior year at Miller in hopes of becoming a McDonald's all-American.

"He's gotta be in that game," said Omar Parker. "Mike is a winner, man. A lot of kids put up big points but Mike gets rebounds, steals, all of that stuff. all of that ranking stuff is [baffling] to me. Mike plays a team game. Mike is a top cat."

Omar Parker, a former standout at Lakeland Community College in Ohio and semi-pro player who was a regular at the legendary Rucker Park in New York in his early 20s, handled his son's recruitment throughout. The Maryland commitment may have occurred earlier had the younger Parker not been waiting to return to his native North Carolina and talk it over with his father, who is considering moving to Maryland next year to be closer to his son. Once they agreed that it was time to seal the deal, they called the coaches.

"I talked to Gary Williams last night. He was happy, man, he was really happy," Omar Parker said. "He said Mike is a winner. We're going to go there Sept. 8 for a visit.

"I always liked Gary Williams," he continued. "I was in Ohio when he was at Ohio State. He's just a good coach. Mike's got good upside. The coaches at Maryland will make sure he does what he needs to do to be successful. If he's a successful individual, he'll be a successful basketball player because that's what's in him."

While his father had the final stamp of approval, the decision came down to where the younger Parker felt most comfortable.

"He loves it [at Maryland]. That's where he's happy at.  I've got to put him in a position where he's happy. I'm not going to be the one going to school," said Omar Parker, a trainer who works with several players he expects will be major college prospects in three or four years.

Earlier this year, Mychal Parker became friends with eventual Maryland commitment Terrence Ross of Montrose Christian (Md.), another top-50 prospect and like Parker, an extremely athletic wing player. Parker considers himself a shooting guard but said he's unsure -- and unconcerned -- about who will be considered the shooting guard and who will be the small forward.

"I don't know, I just know that me and T-Ross are going to be tearing it up," he said, in a rare moment of bravado from a normally understated, quiet high school senior. "Him committing to Maryland really put an edge on me committing."

As a junior Parker led Miller to the first Virgnia independent schools state championship in the school's century-plus existence. He averaged roughly 20 points, six assists and six rebounds per game, including 26 points -- 10 from the free-throw line -- in a championship game win over Atlantic Shores Christian.

“He’s so capable it’s almost unfair sometimes what you expect out of him,” Miller School coach Fred Wawner told reporters afterward. “He was aggressive offensively, which is what we need. He’s a little bit passive sometimes, but he drove the basketball well, he took some shots that we needed him to take and he was a big factor.”

Many schools were pursuing Parker. Virginia, Alabama, N.C. State, Florida, Clemson, Miami, Memphis and at least a dozen more had offered scholarships. Duke inquired, and others such as Ohio State and Kentucky were interested. He'd planned to wait until the spring and evaluate all options, but that plan went by the wayside last night.

"It's definitely a relief. I can go to school and focus on my grades and work out," he said. "[Maryland] is beautiful. It's really big. Everything's down there. I wish I could start today."

Mychal Parker declined to say which schools were the runners-up in his recruitment.

"I was blessed to have some many schools recruiting me and I'm just thankful," he said.

ESPN.com Recrutiing Coordinator John Stovall shared his thoughts with us on Parker's commitment.

"Mychal is a tremendously athletic wing player who has good skills," he said.  "He's a terrific slasher to the basket and can shoot it out to 19 feet but is streaky," he said.

"He has a great frame with broad shoulders and long arms and could easily put on weight and carry it with no problem."

When Parker learns to bring his aggressiveness on every play his game will really take off, he said.

"Mychal must stay assertive throughout the game because when he does he's very good," Stovall noted.  "He has a tendency to take plays off which won't fly under Gary Williams.  But when he's playing at a consistently high level he's one of the best in the country."

"Overall, though, this is a great land for coach Williams and his staff," Stovall concluded.  "He's excellent in transition and can be a very good defender because of his length and athletic ability. He just needs to bring it on every possession."

Parker joins fellow ESPN.com top-100 recruits Terrell Stoglin and Ross in Maryland's 2010 class. The Terps currently have one more scholarship available to use on a big man. InsideMDSports.com will keep you posted every step of the way ...

Click HERE to view InsideMDSports.com's exclusive video of Parker at the I-95 Challenge this past spring.