IWB on Newbill

[Litehouse]

This is probably as close as we're going to get to hearing MU's side of the story.

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=415&f=2850&t=6085782

[reinko]

There is a lot of crap flying around in the air right now and it is time we clear the air, sound good? Yes, I am talking about DJ Newbill.

First off, I have met him, and there is no question that DJ Newbill is a great kid.

So.... here is the deal....

Not long after visiting MU last summer, DJ Newbill wanted to commit to MU. However, MU already had Vander Blue, Reggie Smith and Jamail Jones in the fold. DJ was told that they had needs at other positions, and that they had to continue to recruit other positions. Newbill wanted to commit anyway, knowing that there was a good chance that he may not end up at MU in 2010, and he commited.

Fast forward to the period leading up to signing day. Newbill knew the situation and approached MU about it. Newbill was told that the situation hasn't changed, and that it was likely the only way MU could take him, was if he went to a prep school for a year. Newbill understood, hoped things would work out earlier than prep school, and wanted to sign. MU accepted the signature.

Well - it is time for summer school to start, so things are being finalized. Newbill hoped things would change the outcome, but understood the situation all along.

He wants to go to MU, and deep down, he hoped things would change - but things did not change. He will likely head to prep school for a year, but MU gave him his release so, in case he decides to go to another school, he has that option. If he decides to - MU will help him with the process. If he decides to stay with the prep school route - MU will stay on him.

"Oh, IWB, but what about the coach that was posting on MU Scoop for the last two months?"

Well, first off, yes, that poster is a former coach of DJ Newbill's. However...... DJ Newbill had an advisor helping him with the recruiting process. That advisor dealt with the MU staff during the recruitment, and he knew the situation all along - he had discussions with DJ about the situation throughout the process.
The former coach that has been posting on message boards was not involved in the recruiting process. He was not involved when DJ committed, so he did not know the situation. He was not involved when DJ signed his NLI, so he did not know the entire situation.

He has been very vocal on the message boards about what MU did, said etc., when the truth is, he simply had not been involved with the process.

At the end of the day this is not about a coach and not about MU. It is about DJ Newbill, a great kid who has a lot of talent. Bottom line, DJ Newbill did not get the rug yanked out from underneath him, he knew the situation, hoped it would work itself out in his favor, but it did not. Either way, he doesn't deserve to be the focus of any message board firestorms.

[MU06CU10]

Assuming that's accurate, it's in stark contrast from what has been posted and assumed by many. It also makes it seem like DJ is still good enough for Marquette, just not at this time, which is quite the opposite of what BradForster is saying.

It also sounds like our resident Newbill adviser might not be as close to the recruitment as advertised. Hope this is the true story and hope that Newbill finds his way onto the roster next year!

[nyg]

This is probably as close as we're going to get to hearing MU's side of the story.

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=415&f=2850&t=6085782

I feel a whole lot better, especially with the PhillyCoach reference. 

Good Luck DJ.  Welcome home Jamil, nows lets do this.......

[HoopsMalone]

Buzz is a straight shooter and this sounds about right.  Sometimes feelings get hurt when people are brutally honest, but it sounds like Buzz did nothing wrong here at all if he was that upfront with the person.  Buzz said that the person going to prep school knew who he was and it sounds like it again was the case.  

Hopefully Newbill has a great career and hopefully it is at MU.  

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

I think that does clear up a lot of the air.

I do have a couple add'l questions:

1) If Buzz etc. knew that we had enough guards coming in, why would we give him an offer? My own guess, and I can't remember the chronology, is that we gave him an offer before Midnight Madness, maybe like last summer, before we knew Vander was coming to MU. We would still have a schollie open then.

2) The coinciding of this with the Wilson stuff is awfully odd. Did Buzz perhaps decide that with Wilson officially coming to MU, DJ had to either realize he was going to a prep school, then maybe MU, or nothing at all? The Wilson thing made the "DJ, you're going to Prep School" official? It will be interesting to see if this comes out.

[Nukem2]

I think that does clear up a lot of the air.

I do have a couple add'l questions:

1) If Buzz etc. knew that we had enough guards coming in, why would we give him an offer? My own guess, and I can't remember the chronology, is that we gave him an offer before Midnight Madness, maybe like last summer, before we knew Vander was coming to MU. We would still have a schollie open then.

2) The coinciding of this with the Wilson stuff is awfully odd. Did Buzz perhaps decide that with Wilson officially coming to MU, DJ had to either realize he was going to a prep school, then maybe MU, or nothing at all? The Wilson thing made the "DJ, you're going to Prep School" official? It will be interesting to see if this comes out.

The offer was contingent as IWB points out, whtever the timing.  As for the timing, well the next summer session starts next week.

[jesmu84]

Thanks for clearing everything up. Makes a lot more sense now - especially after reading postings by brad and phillycoach. I can now retain my faith in Buzz being a good representative of MU.

[chapman]

I have 100% faith in IWB's summary, and it's a relief to hear that this wasn't a dirty situation like it had appeared.

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

The offer was contingent as IWB points out, whtever the timing.  As for the timing, well the next summer session starts next week.

Yeah. My point/guess is just that with Wilson coming to MU, it was finally time for DJ to decide between going to prep school or looking elsewhere.

[LAZER]

I think it's pretty clear now Newbill was thinking prep school all along.  He suddenyl got an "offer" he couldn't turn down.  If it didn't work out like he hoped it was back to the original plan of prep school.  It probably hurts given how close he was to being at MU, but it's what he signed up for.

[CrazyEcho]

Yeah. My point/guess is just that with Wilson coming to MU, it was finally time for DJ to decide between going to prep school or looking elsewhere.

DJ's offer was contingent on us NOT finding a big (ish) man.  Wilson decided to come to MU.  There's the contingency.  DJ no longer has an offer.  Not that hard to understand.  

[Brewtown Andy]

Everything really wrapped up nicely.  Oooh, and much quicker than usual!

[StillAWarrior]

DJ's offer was contingent on us NOT finding a big (ish) man.  Wilson decided to come to MU.  There's the contingency.  DJ no longer has an offer.  Not that hard to understand.  

Actually, it sounds like the offer was even more tenuous than that.  From what IWB said it sounds like even before Wilson decided to transfer that DJ was going to be the odd man out (i.e., the person that Buzz told us long ago was going to prep school) unless another scholarship opened up.

[Shack]

 I honestly believe what IWB is reporting is what Buzz and Marquette intended with Newbill.  Use him as Plan B if they didn’t get any more transfers/recruits at the 3-4-5 spots.  I also believe no one really communicated that plan to Newbill until yesterday.   So once again the truth is a combination of Brad Forster’s version and IWB’s. 

[Brewtown Andy]

I honestly believe what IWB is reporting is what Buzz and Marquette intended with Newbill.  Use him as Plan B if they didn’t get any more transfers/recruits at the 3-4-5 spots.  I also believe no one really communicated that plan to Newbill until yesterday.   

*cough*

DJ was told that they had needs at other positions, and that they had to continue to recruit other positions. Newbill wanted to commit anyway, knowing that there was a good chance that he may not end up at MU in 2010, and he commited.

Fast forward to the period leading up to signing day. Newbill knew the situation and approached MU about it. Newbill was told that the situation hasn't changed, and that it was likely the only way MU could take him, was if he went to a prep school for a year. Newbill understood, hoped things would work out earlier than prep school, and wanted to sign.

[Hards Alumni]

Everything really wrapped up nicely.  Oooh, and much quicker than usual!

Simpsons did it! Simpsons did it!

[NavinRJohnson]

I also believe no one really communicated that plan to Newbill until yesterday. 

What would make you believe that?

[Brewtown Andy]

Simpsons did it! Simpsons did it!

12 minutes, people.  I expect better from the rest of you next time.

[muarmy81]

So does this version sit well with Chicos?

[Hards Alumni]

12 minutes, people.  I expect better from the rest of you next time.

I was working, otherwise it would have been much faster

[IWB]

"I also believe no one really communicated that plan to Newbill until yesterday."

If no one told him until yesterday, then why, as the Philly coach stated, had he never filled out an application or sent his transcripts?

Everyone involved, key word 'involved', knew the situation from the beginning.

[Brewtown Andy]

I was working, otherwise it would have been much faster

I'm just glad someone noticed.

[muarmy81]

I'm comfortable with this explanation but what are Philly coach and Brad Forster's thoughts on this version of the scenario?

[Shack]

"I also believe no one really communicated that plan to Newbill until yesterday."

If no one told him until yesterday, then why, as the Philly coach stated, had he never filled out an application or sent his transcripts?

Everyone involved, key word 'involved', knew the situation from the beginning.

So basically you're saying Brad Forster is full of it. Which is fine, I'm just saying there are two sides of the story.  You have the Marquette side and he has the Newbill side.  The truth is in the middle.  Also, is the coach he's mentioning the coach you mention that's been posting here for two months (Philly Coach) or a different one?  


**Cut from another post from Forster**

These are the facts that have been presented to me from the Newbill side:

1) Scott Monarch phones Stan Laws today to ask about DJ's MU application.
2) Coach Laws informs Scott he will have DJ complete the application immediately.
3) Monarch responds by saying Buzz is no longer certain of DJ's commitment to the program and questions whether Newbill will be dependable considering the application has yet to be completed.
4) After probing Scott further to get past what Stan considered a convenient excuse for Marquette to release DJ, Monarch informs Stan that all along he's been the only coach on staff who believes DJ's skills are Big East caliber.
5) Scott tells Stan that Buzz has decided to go another direction and he needs DJ to sign a form requesting his release from Marquette.  (Remember, DJ had already signed on the dotted line)

From what I have surmised, DJ may have been a bit late in completing the final application for official MU enrollment and the failure to submit the application was used as a way for the BB team to sever ties with him.  DJ had asked Stan just a few weeks ago why his friends were receiving calls from representatives of their respective universities, but he had heard nothing from Marquette.  In being presented the Newbill camp's side of the story it sure sounds like DJ was no longer in Marquette's plans, and after some additional probing by Stan Laws, Scott Monarch admitted as much.  DJ's family is devastated and it's awfully late in the game to try and latch on somewhere else.  It's highly disappointing that Buzz asked one of his assistant coaches to call Stan with the gut wrenching news and subsequently leave it to Stan to relay that news to DJ.  Again, this is Coach Laws version of what transpired today.