Marquette held their annual Marquette Madness on Friday night and the event was a huge success. Madness is a celebration to kick off the start basketball season. While Madness builds excitement among the student body and season ticket holders, it is also a chance for the coaching staff to impress their priority recruits, and apparently it was enough for Vander Blue to offer up his commitment to play college ball for Marquette and head coach Buzz Williams.

“It feels great. This is a big load lifted off of my shoulders”, said Blue, a 6’4 guard from Madison Memorial, “Now I can focus on my school work and working to bring my team another state title.”

Blue had committed to Wisconsin as a sophomore and decided to re-open his recruitment, not the easiest thing for a 16 year old to deal with, but Vander stood tall, according to his mother, Rita Blue, “It was a blessing to have so many wonderful schools showing interest in my son. It was stressful for me to see him dealing with everything that he had to deal with, but I am so proud of the way he handled things. This would have been a very difficult thing for anyone to deal with, let alone a teenager, but he stayed strong. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

Now committed to the Golden Eagles, Blue will work on getting a better handle on his new coach. “I feel like I have gotten to know coach Buzz pretty well. When he first got the job as Marquette’s head coach I was the first player he called. But when I committed to Wisconsin, he honored that and never called me again. Having talked with him several times now, I feel I know him well enough, and know he will push me.”

Blue took his official visit to Marquette this past weekend, and it was during the Madness event that he really felt that he was at home, and told Buzz Williams about his decision ten minutes after this afternoon’s practice. The visit also gave his family a chance to learn more about the program, and his mother was impressed. “I was very impressed with the academic component at Marquette. The academic and athletic support staff was phenomenal. I had spoken to Buzz Williams and Tony Benford a few times before, but spending time with them this weekend, I felt as if I had known them a lot longer. Another thing for me was that the campus was just beautiful.”

Blue says the number one reason he decided to play for Marquette was that it was close enough for his mom to be able to see him play. “I’m very close to my mom, so that was more important than anything for me, and now she will be able to be a big part of my entire college career.”

Playing in the Big East was another key for Blue, as he feels the style of play in the league fits his game. “The Big East Conference is the best conference in the country, and I always thought it would be a challenge to play against schools like UConn, Pitt, Syracuse and Louisville. In the Big East you play those types of teams night in and night out. I feel that playing against the athletes in that conference will prepare me for what’s next, and to have an opportunity to play them in-state – that was something I couldn’t pass up.”

The opportunity to play with Jeronne Maymon, his high school teammate, was another key factor. “Jeronne being there was a big plus. We have been playing together since third grade. We are more than friends, it is a brotherly love with us. Some kids would get jealous of the way we worked together, but we both want to be successful and we will always push each other. I know we will always have each other’s support and love. He told me he would take me under his wing, and he also told me it wouldn’t be a cake walk. He said there would be good days and bad, and that there would be breakdowns, but that we would fight through everything together”.

Having spent some time with his future teammates, Blue has already developed a bond with the team. “It’s like we knew each other for years. I love those guys. Jimmy, Reece, Yous, Cubbie –And the thing was, Coach Buzz never introduced me. I just went to talk with them and we hit it off. Coach said he threw me into the pool like that because he wanted to see if I would sink or swim, and I found out that a lot of these guys are from the same background as me, so we are a lot a like. I am blessed to be able to play with those guys.”

Able to play either of the guard spots, Blue expects time at both spots playing for Buzz Williams. “That was important to me, but Coach Williams told me you can’t just put a number on someone. He said players have to play, so it might be at the 1, at the 2, or even against a smaller lineup at the 3, but as long as I work, I’ll play. After he said that, it really wasn’t that important to me anymore, now I know what I have to do.”

Blue, rated #22 in the nation by Rivals, #27 by Scout.com, #34 by SI and #35 by Hoopmasters, could have taken his game to any number of schools across the nation, but wanting to play close to his family was an important factor for Vander, and his mother is pleased that the closeness was important to him. “He will be close to home, and that within itself, is great. We have a lot of family in Milwaukee, and the fact that he wanted to be close to us and that we will be close to him makes me very happy.”

Now that the recruitment is behind him, the 6’4 guard will turn his focus to the classroom and also working to get his Madison Memorial team to repeat as state champions. “Now the focus is on school and taking my team to state. This is all great, but I have to concentrate on what I need to do, because none of this can take place until I graduate. I just have to be strong, stay focused and have faith. I need to be the best person that I can be, on the court, off the court and in the classroom and it will all work out. That is God’s plan.”