OT: Vander Blue Commits to UW (Class of 2010)

[LUKE23]

Huge get for the Badgers, this guy has a lot of game and is only a sophomore, very athletic player that can score outside and getting to the rim. Joins fellow Memorial alum Keaton Nankivil.

http://blogs.jsonline.com/badgers/archi ... onsin.aspx

[xTitan]

nice get...now bring in Evan Anderson and you have a couple blue-chippers in 2010....no pun intended.

[MikeIsGood]

While none of it was set in stone, I'd say we've known our 2010 class for some time now. Happy to have part of it official, now. What I'm curious to see is where Davis ends up. Wish we had room for him, too.

[LUKE23]

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/sports/269161

Good read on Blue from January.

And I agree Mike, Evan Anderson is really nothing more than a formality at this point.

In a matter of minutes, it's easy to see why major college programs have jumped into the race for the services of Madison Memorial sophomore guard Vander Blue.

"When you watch him on the basketball court, he glides. He's like a gazelle out there," said Memorial boys basketball coach Steve Collins, no stranger to NCAA Division I talent over the years. "It looks so natural. He's working 150 percent but it doesn't look like it. Everything comes very easy to him."

In his first season playing varsity basketball, the 6-foot-3 Blue is averaging 13.4 points per game and providing the second-ranked Spartans (10-2, 8-1 Big Eight Conference) the perfect complement to talented junior forward Jeronne Maymon.

Blue, who doesn't turn 16 until July, has drawn college interest from the University of Wisconsin, Marquette, UW-Green Bay, Northern Iowa, Virginia and Clemson. But for Blue — who leads Memorial into Saturday's showdown with Minnesota power Minnetonka (13-1) at the Border Battle in Verona — the chance to play college and potentially pro basketball isn't the only thing that motivates him.

"Being somebody positive out of my family," Blue, who moved with his mother Rita from the north side of Milwaukee to Madison in sixth grade, said Thursday. "Just doing something with my life instead of just sitting around and doing nothing.

"Madison was sort of my way out. I think if I was in Milwaukee right now, I probably wouldn't be doing what I'm doing. I might have got my head in some crazy stuff. I'm glad my mom made the decision to move here and make sure I stayed with her to keep my head clean."

Blue certainly has found a home on the basketball court. He scored a season-high 23 points in a loss to Benilde-St. Margaret's (Minn.), the top-ranked team in Minnesota's Class AAA — which includes UW recruit Jordan Taylor — at the Timberwolves Shootout Jan. 5. He also poured in 19 points against Madison West and 18 against Middleton.

"You see him in games, but you also see him in scouting," Middleton coach Kevin Bavery said. "Very athletic, but also very skilled. For a sophomore, very poised. A kid that you would like to think is going to have unlimited potential. It's good news for them and bad news for the rest of the league, I guess."

West coach Boyce Hodge said he sees some of the same traits in Blue as he did in former Madison East and UW athlete Roy Boone in high school.

"I think (Blue) needs to improve on consistently knocking down the 3 and the mid-range jump shot," Hodge said. "Once he demonstrates that in games, he would closely remind me of Roy Boone."

Memorial, which holds a one-game conference lead over Madison La Follette, opens a key five-day stretch beginning with Janesville Parker tonight. After playing Minnetonka on Saturday, the Spartans play at La Follette on Tuesday, which could determine whether Memorial can win its fifth straight undisputed conference title.

Of course, the Spartans have their eyes on a much bigger prize, too.

"I think we're playing pretty good for as young as we are, but as the season ends, we've got to get better and better to make that run at state," Blue said. "That's everybody's goal."

[smauss]

While none of it was set in stone, I'd say we've known our 2010 class for some time now. Happy to have part of it official, now. What I'm curious to see is where Davis ends up. Wish we had room for him, too.

MU maybe? I saw that kid in 8th grade beat my son's school at CUW. My son's school (First Immanuel) lost 60-58 to Garden Homes (featuring FD.) First Immanuel had a really good team that year, won the National Lutheran Schools Tourney. Davis scored 56 of his teams 60 points. He was shooting 3's, in the paint, running, dunking doing it all. Absolutely the most dominant performance I've seen at that level ever!

[Bernman]

Information and previous discussion about Blue from Recruiting Planet: http://www.recruitingplanet.com/forum/w ... adger.html

Flavien Davis has been my favorite recruit from the 2010 in state recruiting class for a while now. He reminded me of a young Glenn Robinson when I saw him. I wish we had room for him too, Mike and Smauss. Maybe another scholarship is freed by then. We still have a year and half to two years until Davis is forced to make a decision. By then a player could transfer, have academic problems, willingly waive his scholarship. Everyone thought that Ryan Evans' commitment closed the door on Jamil Wilson, but from what I've been told by an insider, a scholarship will be available somehow for him. Not as if it wasn't evident by the intensity by which we were still recruiting players. Where there's a will there's a way. Same type of thing could happen with Davis. Who knows?

And yep, Blue and Anderson have been formalities for a while. I'm pleased we're finally taking advantage of the glut of talent we have in state for the '09 and '10. We had to go elsewhere in '08 because there was a drought. We may have made a reach in the mediocre class of '07. The heart of the Badgers are the home grown players.

[MikeIsGood]

I wish we had room for him too, Mike and Smauss. Maybe another scholarship is freed by then. We still have a year and half to two years until Davis is forced to make a decision. By then a player could transfer, have academic problems, willingly waive his scholarship.

Definitely still an option. Hope it happens. That'd be a hell of an in-state trio.

...from what I've been told by an insider, a scholarship will be available somehow for him.

I can only imagine how. I really hope it doesn't involve pulling scholarships from anyone against their desires. I'm not a fan of that. At the same time, thankfully Bo has not shown tendencies to do this in the past unlike some other coaches.

Ethically done, I really hope it happens. I don't want to miss out on Jamil.

[iveyfanclub]

I'm not sold yet on Anderson. I coached summer league against him for two years and was not impressed. Granted that was when he was a bit younger. The team I coached only won three games that year but we almost beat his team and he only had 2 points, plus the tallest kid we had was only 6'2" at the time. I agree that the kid has potential but I have not seen it yet, and I have seen him play alot.

[Bernman]

I'm not sold yet on Anderson. I coached summer league against him for two years and was not impressed. Granted that was when he was a bit younger. The team I coached only won three games that year but we almost beat his team and he only had 2 points, plus the tallest kid we had was only 6'2" at the time. I agree that the kid has potential but I have not seen it yet, and I have seen him play alot.

Unfortunately, I agree 100 percent. Even before his disappointing 8 pt, 6 reb (those are awful #'s for a guy of his size in h.s.) he was for the most part just an early developing giant who got offers based on perceived potential. In an interview I saw, it seemed like he was pushed into basketball because of his height, thus won't necessarily have the desire to improve. He's a plodder footwork wise in the post. I hope I'm wrong because as I said it looks like he'll complete our class. I would have much preferred Kyle Kelm, the versatile 6'9" power forward from Randolph. If Marquis Mason grows an inch or two he's a high major player in the frontcourt. Same with Calvin Godfrey. There are a plethora of intriguing perimeter players in that class like Kameron Cerroni, Josh Gasser, Chim Kadima, Chip Rank, and of course Flavien and Vander. Not a great year to have only 2 schollies available. Bo must really like Evans, or have an aversion to not utilizing his full allotment of scholarships after it's cost in him the past.....because it's been known this was a great class in state for a while.

I can only imagine how. I really hope it doesn't involve pulling scholarships from anyone against their desires. I'm not a fan of that. At the same time, thankfully Bo has not shown tendencies to do this in the past unlike some other coaches.

Ethically done, I really hope it happens. I don't want to miss out on Jamil.

Pulling scholarships would set a dangerous precedent in the long run that could severely damage our recruiting efforts. Why would a recruit who has other opportunities, or isn't elite, select the program with the coach who'll be disloyal first chance they get. Bo is the cleanest of the clean.

I'm thinking one of two scenarios occur to free the scholarship for Wilson......

1. This is just pure speculation on my part, but.....Gavinski waives his scholarship and plays as a walk-on. There is incentive there because Bo would be more apt to give him playing time if he's shown such immense loyalty to the program. Also, I've heard his parents are pretty comfortable financially, so the proposition of him paying his own way wouldn't be tough to swing. He reportedly is very devoted to the program.

2. Jarmusz decides to transfer because he fears he'll get buried on the depth chart behind our sudden glut of wings. I've heard rumours he was considering transferring, not sure the validity of them however.

There's a long way to go until March 9th, 2009.

Has Swenson softened on his stance that Jamil won't be a Badger in the end? I always thought he was basing on his insider information that Evans was taking the final scholarship. If so, we're depending on his interpretation of the situation, which could be faulty. He's not accounting for the potential of another scholarship opening. Evans' and Wilson's recruitment could be completely independent for Bo and the Badgers.

[MikeIsGood]

Pulling scholarships would set a dangerous precedent in the long run that could severely damage our recruiting efforts. Why would a recruit who has other opportunities, or isn't elite, select the program with the coach who'll be disloyal first chance they get. Bo is the cleanest of the clean.

Why I am thankful, and confident, that we have a coach that would not do that. I didn't mean to imply otherwise. That said, there is no certainty otherwise to say that UW would take Wilson if he wanted to come, because your scenarios might not turn out. That, in the end, is the point.

I'm thinking one of two scenarios occur to free the scholarship for Wilson......

1. This is just pure speculation on my part, but.....Gavinski waives his scholarship and plays as a walk-on. There is incentive there because Bo would be more apt to give him playing time if he's shown such immense loyalty to the program. Also, I've heard his parents are pretty comfortable financially, so the proposition of him paying his own way wouldn't be tough to swing. He reportedly is very devoted to the program.

If he wants to do something so immensely helpful and generous I'm all for it, but I'm not holding my breath.

2. Jarmusz decides to transfer because he fears he'll get buried on the depth chart behind our sudden glut of wings. I've heard rumours he was considering transferring, not sure the validity of them however.

I can say that I had those rumors put to rest for me in about a split second after I brought them up to someone close to TJ. Whether it was by formality or truth is up for interpretation, but it's the most solid evidence I've come across regarding the rumors.

Nothing has changed on any stances regarding Jamil and UW, to my knowledge. Also remaining constant, though, is our apparent recruitment of more-than-one 2009 players. As a result, speculation will run amok until the class is set in stone.

At this point, I'm curious to see if someone is having grade issues in the second semester.

[smauss]

[quote="Bernman"][/quote]

Chip Rank I know, quite skilled, good kid, and very coachable (not to full of himself.) I think he brings some quality intangibles to the table.

[Bernman]

Now the abrasive, arrogant Kentucky fan base is declaring victory with Evan Anderson.

The voice of reason in me hopes they're right, because as I said, he is incredibly overrated. The machismo in me hopes he stays in state so we don't have to admit defeat to a fan base with a superiority complex.

[aboveAverage]

At least that's something positive for Memorial Fans...Tosa East still owns basketball in wisconsin.

[LUKE23]

At least that's something positive for Memorial Fans...Tosa East still owns basketball in wisconsin.

Because they won one title? Memorial has no question been the better program overall the past five years in the state, and arguably the best program overall. Check the records. Also check how many college players they have churned out.

[aboveAverage]

-= original quote snipped =-



Because they won one title? Memorial has no question been the better program overall the past five years in the state, and arguably the best program overall. Check the records. Also check how many college players they have churned out.

I know...that's just me repping for my school