Duke Blue Devils Basketball Notes: Jabari Parker Twitter hate

On Old North Banter, we’ll be doing a new feature for each team where we will periodically take a look at the biggest news surrounding that team on the day. Today, it’s time to start off the feature by looking at Duke Blue Devils basketball news with Jabari Parker being the headliner.

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

To me, this is one of the most disgraceful things that goes on in college sports, and it happens to pretty much every high profile recruit (Harrison Barnes is one of them). Jabari Parker is getting some terrible Twitter backlash from mostly UNC Tar Heels fans, and some of the profanity-laced tweets directed at the high school baller are just sad. I mean, he’s only in high school guys. Besides, it wasn’t like he was deciding between UNC and Duke anyway.

But I’m not going to typecast UNC fans as jerks or anything, because it isn’t just UNC fans who are saying this (Michigan State fans are also doing this after losing out on Parker) nor do the rash actions of a few deserve to define the whole. Parker is an intelligent, classy kid who is taking the high road in this, and his decision to pick Duke is one that we should respect. However, there’s no problem if fans of other teams want to see Duke and Parker lose, because that’s what college hoops is about, right? Rooting against the rivals.

Bleacher Report featured columnist Steven Cook takes a look at why Jabari Parker is a perfect fit for Duke.

The No. 4 women’s basketball team defeated CS Bakersfield in dominating fashion to give coach Joanne P. McCallie her 150th career victory, and Duke remains undefeated in both men’s and women’s hoops.

A great piece from the Blue Devils official site about field hockey player Sarah Urdahl that I highly recommend as heart-warming, holiday reading.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.