In leading his west squad to victory last night, the number one high school recruit won co-MVP of the McDonald's High School All-American game. Given the current state of the NBA -- where three western conference teams 13 games over .500 are competing for two playoff spots while the Knicks hold the East's eighth position 10 games under .500 -- none of those developments are particularly surprising.

Jahlil Okafor (17 points, 7 rebounds), the referenced MVP, and his connection to current Duke freshman Jabari Parker, however, is. Okafor, who committed to Duke next season, could be among several factors influencing Parker's decision to stay, according to CBS Sports. Some scouts actually believe the potential number one pick (Parker, that is) will, though ESPN's Chad Ford believes any type of proclamation at this point to be premature.

Okafor (cousin of Emeka) and Parker are from Chicago, and have known each other for a long time. Most likely, Parker impacted Okafor's decision to attend Duke, though he claims it was the 6-foot-11 center's other qualities that led him to Durham.

"I only talked to him about Duke when he asked," Parker told SB Nation. "I really didn't want to bring it up because I know how it is during the recruiting process with people constantly trying to tell you this and that. It was mostly his persona and attitude that led to him committing to Duke."

While playing for an AAU team in Chicago, Parker and Okafor once spoke about playing for the same school, but they did so in jest and mentioned a lesser basketball power.

"We haven't really talked about playing together," Okafor said Monday night. "When we were on Mac Irvin Fire (an AAU team), we might have joked about it, but mostly it was like going to a local school that was not as strong just to shock the world. But that was all jokes and us just having fun."

As a third (and unlikely) scenario, Parker, who is mormon, could decide to take next year "off" for a mission trip, as many young people within his faith do.