Bremerton, Wash. ? Marvin Williams strode into the Bremerton High gym Friday afternoon, kissed his mom on the cheek and told the world — or at least the 100 or so people in attendance — that he would be a North Carolina Tar Heel.

After months of speculation, the most coveted high school basketball player in the state finally put to rest the hopes of hometown fans that he might choose to stick around and play for Lorenzo Romar at the University of Washington.

Williams had narrowed the field of prospective colleges to just three: North Carolina, Washington and Arizona. The 6-foot-9 senior-to-be said his decision came down to what he determined was best for him, not what was best for Huskies fans — some of whom were in attendance Friday.

Also weighing heavily into the decision was newly hired UNC coach Roy Williams, who had been heavily recruiting Marvin Williams to Kansas when he was the Jayhawks’ coach.

“He’s a great guy,” Marvin Williams said of his future coach. “Coach Williams’ style is a great style. You guys have seen it in the national championships the last couple years.”

Marvin Williams, 17, said he made his decision about a week ago, at which time he told only his immediate family and closest friends — and Roy Williams, of course. Marvin Williams is Roy Williams’ first recruit since leaving Kansas for Chapel Hill.

“Once I told (coach Williams), he dropped the phone and started screaming,” Williams said. “He was screaming for a while.”

¢

Well-traveled basketball forward Jason Parker has enrolled at Chipola Junior College in Marianna and evidently hopes to matriculate at Florida State after this season. Parker was a high school All-American in Charlotte, N.C., in 1998-99 and originally signed with North Carolina. But he didn’t make the grade and went to Fork Union Military Academy in 1999-2000.

After Kentucky discovered something on his transcript that North Carolina evidently overlooked, he started 34 games as a freshman at UK in 2000-01. He missed the 2001-’02 season after tearing the ACL in his right knee, then was booted last summer for a violation of team rules.

He moved on to South Carolina as a walk-on who eventually hoped to be put on scholarship. In mid-February of this year, school officials determined that Parker wasn’t making satisfactory academic progress, and he wasn’t allowed to continue with his spring classes.

He resurfaced at Chipola last month. And rumor has it that Rashaad Carruth may join Parker at Chipola, then move on to FSU.

Carruth began his career at Kentucky, in the 2001-02 season. But he moved on to Oklahoma.

Alas, he ran into problems there with Sooners coach Kelvin Sampson and transferred to Indian Hills CC in Ottumwa, Iowa, where he was ineligible to play last season. While there have been reports that Carruth already is at Chipola, Indian Hills officials have said they expect him back.