By SAM LANCE
CHICAGO — Class of 2023 four-star guard Parker Friedrichsen will be narrowing down his college options soon, he tells ZAGSBLOG.com.
“I would say a top four or five will probably be in the next few weeks,” Friedrichsen said. “I want to get through this tournament, start scheduling visits, and kind of go from there.”
Friedrichsen took five official visits to Creighton, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Purdue during his junior year. For his senior cycle, Friedrichsen is looking to visit Northwestern, Creighton and Cincinnati.
Those three schools were among a list of 10 the Oklahoma native said is recruiting him the hardest. Friedrichsen named Northwestern, Creighton, Cincinnati, Nebraska, Rice, Marshall, DePaul, Memphis, Davidson and San Francisco. He broke down some of those options:
Northwestern: “Coach [Chris] Collins reached out to me actually just a few weeks ago and I’ve built a pretty good relationship with him so far. I did a zoom with him. There you get the best of both worlds, playing in the Big 10 and great academics. So I really like them. It just comes down to fit.”
Creighton: “The Big East is a great basketball conference. They’ve been in my process for over a year now. So I’ve just been talking to them. They love shooters. I mean, their motto is let it fly. That definitely sticks out.”
Cincinnati: “I’ve built a pretty good relationship with them as well. Obviously, they are going to the Big 12 so they are up and coming. Just the way coach [Wes] Miller does things around there, I like them.”
Nebraska: “They’ve been in my process for 15, 16 months now. As you can imagine, I talk to them so many times a week. So I’m comfortable with those guys. We’ve just been talking forever and coach [Fred] Hoiberg has a pro offense, which is cool.”
Rice: “For me, level doesn’t matter. Conference doesn’t matter. With them, they are going to the American, but they were my first ever scholarship offer. So we’ve been talking quite a bit. I just like how they do things and I can probably make an impact over there.”
DePaul: “DePaul is a new one. Coach [Tony] Stubblefield and his staff have been reaching out to me. I’m excited to keep building my relationship with them.”
Friedrichsen specifically stated he’s close with the staff at Cincinnati, Northwestern and Nebraska, as well as Creighton head coach Greg McDermott. Relationships with the coaching staff is a big key for Friedirchsen in his recruitment.
“Not really much matters to me,’ Friedrichsen said. “Just the relationships and how I fit into what they’re doing. I want an opportunity to play early if it’s earned. I want to know that there’s a chance to get out there if I work hard for it. Those are just the two main things I look for. All the other stuff, it’s just good to have.”
Friedrichsen is ranked the No. 20 shooting guard and No. 126 nationally in the class of 2023 by 247Sports. Early in his recruitment, Friedrichsen was more of a catch and shoot player. However, he now describes himself as more of a combo guard.
“I’m starting to play the ball a little more, facilitate more for my teammates,” Friedrichsen said. “I’m really just a shot creator and a good shooter from deep.”
Freidrichsen’s favorite NBA players are Steph Curry, Trae Young and Buddy Hield.
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