Scott Willard didn't quite know what to expect from Mychal Parker when he took the Miller School (Va.) coaching job last summer.
Willard moved to Virginia after one season as Wyoming's director of basketball operations and two years as head coach at Division III Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass. At the Miller School, he inherited Parker, a Top 60 talent and one of the premier small forwards in the 2010 class.
While Parker's talent was undeniable, Willard heard mixed reviews on his work ethic. Those concerns were quickly alleviated.
"When I took the job I heard that he wasn't taking advantage of his talents and he wasn't working hard enough," Willard said of Parker, who committed to Maryland shortly after he took the job. "To my surprise, he worked his butt off. He gets up a lot of shots and his work ethic is going to help, no question. He's going to need it. ... He can do it all. He can rebound, he can shoot it, he can drive to the basket and he can defend when he wants to. So this year, he was without question one of the most talented players I've ever coached. He needs to play hard on every possession, but I think he got better as the year went on."Willard's system called for Parker to work off ball screens, driving to the hoop or pulling up for the jumper, depending on how the opposition defended him. It was a different experience for Parker, but Willard said he flourished, averaging 21 points, 6.5 rebounds and four assists for the Mavericks, who finished 15-7 with a semifinal appearance in the Virginia Independent Schools Division I playoffs.
"He saw some junk defenses thrown at him -- triangle-and-2, box-and-1." Willard said. "He's what they tried to take away. [But] he handled it well. Obviously putting up those kind of numbers when you're a marked man is a testament to how he handled it. He did a good job."
Parker's finest moment of his senior season came in late December. The Mavericks traveled to Parker's hometown of Washington, N.C., for the 30th annual Washington Daily News/PotashCorp Aurora Holiday Tournament. In front of a hometown crowd, Parker went off.
"We just saw his raw ability. We drove five hours to North Carolina to play in a tournament," Willard said. "Cameras there, news crews, a packed gym, and he honestly rolled off the bus and was unbelievable. We got off the bus and he went for 35. And he took a final earlier in the day. So that just gave us a taste of, if he works hard and gets stronger, his God-given ability is really unmatched at this level. It was a great moment for him."
Willard said there's no question Parker has "the tools" to succeed at the ACC level. He's a versatile 6-foot-6 wing who can shoot, rebound and handle the ball with both hands. Willard said Parker thinks he'll see significant time in Maryland's lineup right from the start. With added strength, Willard can envision that scenario happening.
"He's been fun to be around, and as a high school coach, it's great to coach those kids," Willard said. "But it's even more gratifying to be a fan once they reach the collegiate level. Him being at Maryland will [allow us to] hopefully see him on TV some, and obviously when he comes to play U.Va., that's a short trip for us. We'll make sure to be there."