Jabari Parker will attend college rather than go on a Mormon mission after he graduates from high school next year.

"I know for a fact that I'm going to college my first year," Parker announced on Friday.

Parker would like to make his college decision by January or February at the latest.

"If I want to make my announcement in the winter, I'm probably behind schedule," Parker said. "I probably will need to be doing a little more work. I'm getting lazy. … My decision, it's going to come kind of easy because I have a lot of people in my circle just telling me different things."

Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti traveled to Stillwater on Thursday to watch the Oklahoma State Cowboys practice.

Presumably, Presti was there to scout Marcus Smart and Le’Bryan Nash.

Smart, a 6-foot-3 point guard, is averaging 13.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.4 blocks through his first five games, bringing immediate leadership and a defensive mentality that’s rubbed off on those around him.

The 6-foot-7 Nash is a talented wing scorer who excels at getting to the rim and finishing in a variety of ways.

Joshua Smith was once considered one of the more promising NBA center prospects in college basketball.

Smith transfered from UCLA on Wednesday.

Smith has struggled with his weight throughout his time with the Bruins.

"The kid has eaten himself out of a career," said one NBA scout.

Joshua Smith has decided to leave the UCLA basketball program, citing “personal reasons.”

"I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at UCLA and am grateful for the opportunity that has been presented to me here," Smith said in a statement.

The 6-foot-10 Smith, who was listed at 305 pounds, battled weight issues throughout his career and played sparingly this season. 

A West Coast-based NBA scout speaking on the condition of anonymity said Smith has the size, skill set and talent to be the most dominant center in college basketball.

"You're talking about someone who had the world in his palm," the scout said. "It's a tragic story."

The scout said an NBA team is likely to take a chance on drafting Smith in the second round if he decides to continue playing basketball, because "you just don't pass up on his size and skill set as a 20-year-old."

Tony Mitchell of North Texas entered the 12-13 season with big expectations, but NBA scouts have been disappointed by his play so far.

Mitchell is averaging 15.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game this season.

Anthony Bennett missed Monday's UNLV practice and could miss Wednesday's game against UC Irvine with lower-back stiffness.

Bennett missed parts of the past two seasons at Findlay Prep with the same issue.

Before the year began, Dave Rice said athletic trainer Dave Tomchek and strength coach Jason Kabo were taking extra precautions to try to keep Bennett healthy.

Bennett has been UNLV's leading scorer, averaging 19.5 points and 8.3 rebounds in 26.3 minutes per game.

Bennett is the country's leading freshman scorer.

Brandon Ashley has continued to impress in Arizona practices following his 20 points and 10 rebounds on Nov. 19 against Long Beach State.

“Brandon Ashley right now has really established himself as being on the upswing,” Sean Miller said. “You guys see it in games; we see it every day in practice. He led our team in practice points leading up to the (Long Beach State) game and even this past week he’s continued to do a good job.

“He’s played with a lot of confidence. He’s learning how to play with more effort and he’s getting better on both ends of the ball. It’s exciting to see somebody as young as he is improve through his work ethic.”

Chad Ford has identified Alex Poythress as a potential sleeper pick to go first overall in the 2013 NBA Draft.

The popular candidates to go first have been Shabazz Muhammad, Cody Zeller and Nerlens Noel.

"Of all the players I've seen so far, he's been the most impressive and I think many NBA scouts agree with that," wrote Ford.

Poythress is a freshman at Kentucky.

USC's Dewayne Dedmon was once considered an intriguing NBA prospect due to his size and athletic ability.

But Dedmon is already 23 and has yet to develop a feel for the game.

Scouts are believed to have largely given up on considering Dedmon a legitimate NBA prospect.

Shabazz Muhammad had 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting in 25 minutes in his UCLA debut on Monday against Georgetown.

"I can get a lot better," said Muhammad. "I didn't think I played really well tonight."

Muhammad did not appear to be in game shape.

"He's got a lot of work to put in conditioning-wise to catch up," said Ben Howland.