May 2009 - Posts

• A few thoughts on Vander Blue

  Posted May 20 2009, 01:25 PM by Ben Voelkel

  There's one thing we all have to remember Vander Blue.

  It applies to his current situation and it applies to every other recruit out there.

  He's a kid. 

  That's what struck me the most as I sat there in the conference room Blue held his press conference in yesterday. When Blue walked in, there were probably 20 reporters and a half-dozen cameras focused on the table at the front of the room. He sat down next to his mom and grandfather, his straight-billed, black Yankees hat pulled down low. He looked pretty uncomfortable. 

  At 16, you would be too. 

  You were reminded of that all throughout the press conference. When his mom, Rita, prompted him at the beginning of the press conference with a soft "Go ahead," like he was on a neighbor's doorstep about to apologize for breaking a window. Or when he gave a rambling answer to a question. Or when, talking about negative comments from the middle-aged Web site readers, Blue reminded everyone he doesn't even have his drivers' license yet. 
  

  The last week had been an eye-opening experience for Blue, one which made him feel like "the worst person in Madison."
  

  I love college basketball. Love the student sections, pep bands and the fact that players bust it every night. What I don't love is the recruiting and the rumors. Projecting enormous expectations onto kids who's biggest concerns are finding a date to prom and dissecting their every move... it all makes me feel uncomfortable.
  

  And don't say that if a guy can't handle it, he shouldn't be a major prospect. That's bull. Think about how much you matured between the ages of 16 and 20.
  

  Speculation will continue around Blue throughout the summer and into the fall as he takes official visits to different schools. At this point, anyone who thinks they know how this will end up are either a) Vander Blue or b) blowing smoke.

  — Just wanted to weigh in on one more thing. I've read a lot of comments, especially on BadgerBeat.com and other message boards, blasting The Capital Times' Rob Schultz. Rita Blue went after Schultz pretty good during the press conference yesterday, as well. 

  Know that Schultz is very solid journalist. I'd be shocked if there wasn't more than a little truth to the article he wrote about Blue's academics.
  

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  Filed under: UW basketball, vander blue

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• Vander Blue decommits **Update/Audio & Video

  Posted May 19 2009, 06:08 PM by Ben Voelkel

  Update with audio and video - appologies, the file was too big so the camera dumped half the video but kept the audio. The entire audio is here, video for teh last 8 minutes... 

  Madison — Vander Blue is no longer committed to the hometown Badgers.
  
  Saying his heart was not “100 percent, totally at Wisconsin,” the Madison Memorial junior officially announced Tuesday he is backing off of his verbal commitment to the University of Wisconsin.
  
  "As of right now, I am no longer verbally committed to the University of Wisconsin," said Blue, who is seen nationally as a top-50 talent for his age. "I'm going to open up my recruitment and really get out there and take some visits and see what else is out there."
  
  The 6-foot-4 Blue committed to UW last April as a sophomore, but admitted Tuesday he started having second thoughts “a while back ago” about the decision. Looking back, it might have been a case of making a decision too soon.
  
  “I just got real excited about the recruiting process,” Blue said. “I didn’t know what I was getting into.”
  
  And while he’s backing off his commitment to UW for the moment, Blue made it a point to say Wisconsin is still an option.
  
  “I’m not saying I’m totally out of Wisconsin,” Blue said. “… There’s still a good chance I could end up here if this is what I feel like is right for me.”
  
  Blue informed UW assistant coach Howard Moore of his decision to back off the verbal commitment before meeting with reporters.
  
  Moore’s reaction?
  
  “He told me he’s going to recruit me even harder now,” Blue said.
  
  This summer will see Blue play in several tournaments with his AAU team, the Madison Spartans, and possibly attend so-called “elite camps” at different schools. Once September comes and he is allowed to take official visits, Blue will do that. Madison Spartans coach Shelton Kingcade said he has heard from several coaches in the last few days who are interested in Blue. Kingcade declined to name those coaches and Blue wouldn’t provide a list of schools he is interested in.
  
  Kingcade said he hopes everything will go smoothly and Blue can sign a National Letter of Intent during the early signing period in November.
  
  Blue’s announcement concluded a week of speculation that started last Tuesday, when SportsBubbler.com and BadgerBlitz.com both reported that Blue was wavering in his commitment to UW. The Capital Times then ran a story that implied Blue’s standing with UW was in question because of academic issues.
  
  That story irked Rita Blue, Vander’s mother, who denied her son had any academic issues. What seemed to bother the prospect the most were negative comments posted after the article and on message boards.
  
  “Just to see how these so-called Wisconsin fans, what they had to say on those blogs," Blue said, "it really made me second-guess. Do people really want me here?”
  
  Asked directly if he was in solid enough academic shape to earn admission to UW, Blue said he was. Blue also said fan reaction was not the reason he was decommitting.
  
  Wisconsin’s 2010 recruiting class now has just one member, Eau Claire big man Evan Anderson. The UW coaching staff also has an offer out to Cameron Wright, a 6-foot-5 guard from Cleveland.
  

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• Vander Blue to hold press conference

  Posted May 19 2009, 11:50 AM by Ben Voelkel

  After a week of speculation, Vander Blue will hold a press conference at 5:30 this afternoon. 

  One of the top recruits in the high school basketball class of 2010, Blue committed to UW last April. In the last week there have been conflicting media reports regarding Blue backing out of his commitment to the school and reopening the recruiting process. SportsBubbler.com and BadgerBlitz.com both reported Blue was wavering in his commitment and he would explore explore his options. The Capital Times, among others, reported a meeting last Monday between Blue and UW coaches was about academics. We'll probably find out for sure today what the case is.

  Making the situation more curious was the fact that the UW coaching staff re-extended a scholarship offer to Cameron Wright, a recruit from Cleveland, a day after the meeting with Blue. Wright had an earlier offer from UW, but chose to sign with Ohio State. Wright has since backed out of that commitment.

  The obvious question to ask would be why, if Blue is still committed to UW and has not reopened his recruitment, would the UW staff suddenly reoffer Wright, unless it planned to oversign the 2010 class. To the best of my knowledge, Ryan has never done that during his time at Wisconsin. And if that was the intention, why wait until now?

  So we'll find out today at 5:30 one way or the other.
  

   

  
  

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• Apparently Bo never read "The Tim Floyd Recruiting Guide"

  Posted May 13 2009, 12:32 PM by Ben Voelkel

  After the Vander Blue events of this week, recruiting is probably one of the last things Badger fans want to think about.

  Just be happy USC's not your team.

  The Trojans and head coach Tim Floyd look like they might be in a nice heap of trouble if what Yahoo! Sports is reporting is true. 

  According to the article, Louis Johnson, a former member of Mayo's inner circle, told NCAA investigators and the Feds that "Floyd gave at least $1,000 in cash to Rodney Guillory, a man who allegedly lavished Mayo with improper benefits while the guard starred for the Trojans."

  Apparently Mr. Johnson forgot that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. 
  

  That's the type of thing that screams "lack of institutional control" and "NCAA sanctions."

  So, while the whole Blue situation could wind up being a setback for UW, its no where near the problems Southern Cal could soon be facing. Be thankful for that.
  

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  Filed under: recruiting, vegas, money in an envelope, usc

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• Blue backs off commitment to UW

  Posted May 12 2009, 07:19 PM by Ben Voelkel

  Vander Blue, a guard from the class of 2010, has backed off his verbal commitment to the University of Wisconsin and will reopen his recruitment, SportsBubbler.com has learned.

  Blue informed the UW coaching staff of his decision Monday night.

  Shelton Kingcade, Blue's AAU coach for the Madison Spartans said he knew nothing of the decision. Kingcade directed all inquires to Blue's mother. A message left at the number Kingcade provided to SportsBubbler was unreturned as of Tuesday evening.
  

  Ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 39 prospect in the 2010 recruiting class, Blue averaged 22.7 points per game during the Division I state tournament to lead Madison Memorial title. ESPN.com has Blue graded as a 96.
  

  Blue was highly recruited before committing to the Badgers last April, receiving interest from Marquette, Indiana and Kentucky. Blue denied message board rumors that he was wavering in his commitment in mid-January.
  

  Despite decommiting, Blue will still consider Wisconsin during this new round of recruiting. Louisville and Minnesota are now in the mix as well.
  

  Marquette could also be an intriguing option for Blue. Jeronne Maymon, the reigning Mr. Basketball in the state, played with Blue at Memorial and is set to enroll at Marquette in the fall. There is some thought Blue the prospect of playing with Maymon again could lure Blue to Milwaukee.

  The Badgers now have one scholarship available for the 2010 class. Wisconsin will likely continue pursuing Blue. If Blue ends up committing some where else, UW will likely target another guard. As it stands now, without Blue, UW would have just three scholarship guards for the 2010 season (Rob Wilson, Jordan Taylor and incoming freshman Diamond Taylor).
  

  Wisconsin's 2010 class now has just one member, Eau Claire big man Evan Anderson. The 6-foot-11 Anderson is 37th in Rivals' rankings and eighth according to Scout.com.

   

  Photo credit: Scout.com
  

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  Filed under: vander blue decommits

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