Did Duke land another Kyle Singler?

Duke received its first commitment from the 2012 class Monday when Alex Murphy of St. Mark's (Southborough, Mass.) decided to cast his lot with Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils.

Let the Kyle Singler comparisons begin.

At 6-foot-8 and 200 pounds, Murphy has a comparable frame to the Duke star when he came out of South Medford (Medford, Ore.) four years ago. Like Singler, he's an oversized wing more comfortable attacking from the perimeter than the paint.

There is one distinct difference between the two, however. Singler has never been viewed a gifted athlete. Murphy is a freak. In fact, Grant Hill may be a more accurate comparison as far as current and former Blue Devils go.

Brother Erik is a sophomore at Florida, where he is averaging 5.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game this season. Alex, rated the No. 11 prospect in the 2012 class by MaxPreps, considered the Gators along with Arizona, Kansas and North Carolina before picking Duke.

The Blue Devils are also showing interest in Murphy's St. Mark's and New England Playaz teammate Kaleb Tarczewski, a 7-foot junior pegged as the No. 34 2012 prospect.

Other top 2012 targets for the Blue Devils include guard Shabazz Muhammad of Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), guard Rasheed Sulaimon of Strake Jesuit (Houston, Texas) and Jean-Pierre Tokoto of Menomonee Falls (Wis.).

Parker steps up for Miller Grove

Perhaps nobody has taken a bigger leap on the court this winter than 6-8, 260-pound Tony Parker of Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.).

Parker averaged 10.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore for Georgia's Class AAAA state champions, simply fitting in with a frontcourt that included 6-9 current Georgia Bulldog Donte' Williams and 6-8 Henry Brooks, now a senior at Miller Grove.

A year later he is the undisputed focal point for one of the nation's top high school teams, posting 16.9 points, 14.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots per game. His signature performance may have been a 21-point, 27-rebound outing against Douglass (Oklahoma City, Okla.) in the championship game of the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina.

According to Miller Grove head coach Sharman White, Parker's play has made him a must-get target for several top programs.

"His recruitment was pretty heavy before, but a lot of coaches now feel like they have to have him," White said. "It's amazing where he is with a year left. He is working to get better and putting in a lot of time."

While Parker is still considering a long list of schools, White says Alabama, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Georgia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Ohio State and Tennessee are at the forefront.

Miller Grove improved to 24-0 Tuesday night – with an asterisk – by beating Lithonia 75-35. The Wolverines lost to Dr. Krop (Miami, Fla.) last month, a result that has since been overturned because the Miami school used an ineligible player.

Christiansen ready for big summer

Despite a dominating junior year at Bishop McGuinness (Oklahoma City, Okla.), 6-8, 230-pound power forward Matthew Christiansen doesn't have an offer from a major conference program.

Expect that to change once he gets in front of college coaches with the Nike-sponsored Athletes First club team on a regular basis this spring.

Christiansen turned in one of the biggest performances of his high school career two weeks ago against Stillwater, piling up 32 points, 16 rebounds and seven blocked shots in a 77-70 overtime win.

He's also produced monster double-doubles on the final day of two tournaments, going for 26 points and 21 rebounds to help the Fighting Irish take third place at the Hobbs Holiday Tournament in December and 23 points and 18 boards against Northwest Classen in the championship game of McGuinness' own tourney, a 77-61 win.

According to the physical power forward's father, Mark, he took unofficial visits to Colorado, Michigan, Notre Dame and Penn State last summer, and those are among the schools showing the most interest along with Harvard, Princeton, Stanford and Virginia.

Current Orlando Magic rookie and former Kentucky big man Daniel Orton also attended Bishop McGuinness, where he led the Fighting Irish to three-straight state titles from 2006-08.

Sleeper alert

Mid-majors looking for a scoring point guard late in the process might want to check out Crescent City. No, not New Orleans, but Crescent City, Fla., where Jerrell Oxendine is putting the finishing touches on a huge senior campaign.

The 5-10, 170-pound Oxendine is averaging 25.8 points and nearly three assists per game for Crescent City, a Class 3A school slightly obscured an hour northwest of Daytona Beach.

"He is a special player and a special person," Raiders head coach Al Carter said. "I don't understand why programs like a North Florida or Jacksonville aren't after him. Even a Central Florida."

Oxendine, also a football standout with a 3.4 grade point average, has topped the 40-point mark twice this season, including a career-high 46 in a win over Interlachen in December.

According to Carter, College of Charleston has shown the most interest among Division I schools, but even that has fallen off despite a big season.

Oxendine and the 17-5 Raiders begin district play tonight against Union County (Lake Butler), the alma mater of Buffalo Bills running back and former Clemson star C.J. Spiller.