IWB on Newbill

[nyg]

This story is laughable.  Tune in on Friday for the exclusive. 

The only believable reporting will be if you get a videotaped interview with DJ.  Then again, that would be his story, but it would make for a good discussion.  DJ would have have no reason to be less than completely honest.

[T-Bone]

Wow, two in one day!

Wouldn't it be three?  That poor cell phone was hanging off the cliffs of those Paraguayan mountains in the other thread ("head games" thread).

[77ncaachamps]

All this qould make a great ESPN short.

BTW, I don't recall anyone bringing this up, but when a coach is fired, are the players allowed to contact other schools (or vice versa)? Or would the opposite be considered tampering?

[cheebs09]

Also for those wondering the timing of this whole thing seems suspicious. If it was a true contingency plan, wouldn't once they heard that Wilson wanted to transfer to MU, they would alert Newbill. If they waited longer with Newbill, then it would be doing him a disservice. It just doesn't seem to me all of a sudden we get that Jamil wants to transfer in and kick DJ to the curb all in a matter of hours. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think the timing actually gives IWB credibility, not make Buzz look sleazy.

[martyconlonontherun]

All this qould make a great ESPN short.

BTW, I don't recall anyone bringing this up, but when a coach is fired, are the players allowed to contact other schools (or vice versa)? Or would the opposite be considered tampering?

I asked that in another thread but didn't get an answer.

Although I don't believe this went as smoothly as IWB is saying, but why are some taking this at 100% face value and will never believe that a Badger wants to focus on studying?

[SD Warrior]

This story is laughable.  Tune in on Friday for the exclusive. 

Who is Brad Forster? Could someone please explain why this guy is so credible...

[HoopsMalone]

Who is Brad Forster? Could someone please explain why this guy is so credible...

Some dude who made a youtube video of Newbill.  He probably knows Newbill better than any of us I guess, but that isn't saying much since none of us know Newbill.

[mileskishnish72]

If Newbill's take on MU was so strong that he was willing to take the chance (as has been described), it would be great if there were a spot for him here after his prep year.

[El Duderino]

A few questions

If Buzz did tell Newbill that there was a pretty good chance he'd have to attend prep school for a year and DJ accepted this possibility, why isn't he just going to prep school?

If say Newbill had agreed to go to prep school for a year instead of Buzz releasing him from his LOI, could Buzz have then chosen to not take Newbill on the team next year if Newbill struggled in prep school? Maybe that's why DJ backed off on going to prep school? Fearing he might be left out in the cold after a year in prep school?

In the post by IWB, he never stated whether Buzz actually for sure told Newbill he would have to attend prep school for a year if he wanted to keep his scholarship and that then DJ balked at that. Am i wrong in not seeing this in the post by IWB?

If Buzz did for sure offer that option of prep school to Newbill and that then next year DJ would for sure have his Marquette scholarship, i don't have any problem with what Buzz did. If though Buzz basically pushed DJ away from even taking the prep school for a year option with no guarantee of a scholarship the next year, it seems a crappy thing to do by Buzz.

[NavinRJohnson]

This whole thing is beyond strange and if it went down with any other school, we would all be calling B.S.

Well almost any other school...I suspect if this went down in Bloomington, we wouldn't see quite the same level of outrage coming from some on this board.

[mu_hilltopper]

I said it in another thread, but it's very relevant here, too.

IWB's commentary nicely represents MU's side, which could also be stated, how MU would like the story to be written.  It paints the situation in the best light possible for MU.

The takeaway is .. IWB is MU's conduit to you.  Brad Forster is DJN/Phillycoach's conduit to you.     Neither are more or less credible.  They are the same story, told from two perspectives with differing purposes.  

Draw your own conclusion knowing elements of both stories are factual, both have spin.

[GGGG]

I said it in another thread, but it's very relevant here, too.

IWB's commentary nicely represents MU's side, which could also be stated, how MU would like the story to be written.  It paints the situation in the best light possible for MU.

The takeaway is .. IWB is MU's conduit to you.  Brad Forster is DJN/Phillycoach's conduit to you.     Neither are more or less credible.  They are the same story, told from two perspectives with differing purposes.  

Draw your own conclusion knowing elements of both stories are factual, both have spin.

I agree with this.  IWB is connected to MU...so we are getting MU's story through him.  The truth probably lies in the middle somewhere.

For instance, Buzz continuously saying that someone was going prep, probably means that he had told Newbill of this possibility.  However, my guess is that DJ expected this to be resolved much earlier than now.  Which might be why his connections are so pissed off now.

[Hamostradamus]

Did he ever have any major offers other than ours? Was WV a real offer, or just another if we don't get the first 20 guys were after offers? That would be the only way it would make sense. Its take a risk on us or go to the Patriot league/DII/etc..

I just checked, Newbill was 17th in the Philly area, behind a guy committed to Rider and ahead of a guy committed to Hartford. And some are gnashing their teeth over this? Sorry Brad, this is big time hoops. I have a hard time believing DJ was led to believe his offer was an irrevocabloe 4-year guarantee instead of "hey, if someone better comes along, you're going prep."

[ChicosBailBonds]

Now that we have his AAU coaches comments, I'd say this notion that this kid was slated for prep school doesn't fly.

You don't sign a NLI and pass up others if you think there is a chance you are going to get cut.  That notion is ludicrous.  Why would any kid do this?

As his AAU coach said point blank, this was simply a situation where a better player came along and we dumped Newbill for the better player.

Everything else is spin and a bunch of crap.  We had a commitment with a plater and we broke the commitment.

[bradforster]

Folks, I have no vested interest in DJ Newbill.  I simply moved to Philadelphia recently and being in close proximity to a Marquette recruit wanted to offer a sneak peek at a new member of the basketball team.   I happen to have the equipment and a broadcasting background so I figured fans of MU basketball would be interested in getting to know an incoming freshman a bit better.  If Vander Blue lived in Philly, I would have asked him if I could do the same type of piece.  

It just so happens last night I received a phone call from Stan Laws who proceeded to tell me DJ's Marquette career had come to an unexpected and abrupt end.  I also talked to DJ himself.  He said he was caught off guard and had no idea this was coming. He was truly looking forward to joining the Marquette basketball program.  The kid was voted AA Pennsylvania player of the year and had offers from several schools.  He chose Marquette because of a deep respect for Buzz and other members of the staff.  He also felt a sense of loyalty towards a program that courted him earlier in the process than other schools.  He was looking forward to venturing away from home and playing for a quality institution.  West Virginia and Georgetown were two other Big East schools to submit offers.  If he had any idea Marquette was going to cast him aside when the next great player came along he would have never signed a letter of intent to travel 1500 miles from home.  DJ was told by Buzz that he had every opportunity to earn playing time just like everyone else.  He never discussed prep school with Buzz.  He was cleared by the NCAA and ready to join the fray next week.  It's as simple as that.  Whether you choose to believe the kid and his coach is certainly your choice.  I can tell you, what I heard on the phone last night was every bit believable.  Tomorrow I will be conducting a sit down interview with Coach Laws and DJ.  I have already interviewed both of them twice and was just about to upload a full length feature on DJ's journey from Strawberry Mansion High School to Marquette University.  On Friday, you can hear the details of this unfortunate set of circumstances from the folks on this side of the table.

[MUfan12]

DJ was told by Buzz that he had every opportunity to earn playing time just like everyone else.  He never discussed prep school with Buzz.  He was cleared by the NCAA and ready to join the fray next week.  It's as simple as that.

If it's as simple is that, how come he had still not applied for admission?

[ChicosBailBonds]

Folks, I have no vested interest in DJ Newbill.  I simply moved to Philadelphia recently and being in close proximity to a Marquette recruit wanted to offer a sneak peek at a new member of the basketball team.   I happen to have the equipment and a broadcasting background so I figured fans of MU basketball would be interested in getting to know an incoming freshman a bit better.  If Vander Blue lived in Philly, I would have asked him if I could do the same type of piece.  

It just so happens last night I received a phone call from Stan Laws who proceeded to tell me DJ's Marquette career had come to an unexpected and abrupt end.  I also talked to DJ himself.  He said he was caught off guard and had no idea this was coming. He was truly looking forward to joining the Marquette basketball program.  The kid was voted AA Pennsylvania player of the year and had offers from several schools.  He chose Marquette because of a deep respect for Buzz and other members of the staff.  He also felt a sense of loyalty towards a program that courted him earlier in the process than other schools.  He was looking forward to venturing away from home and playing for a quality institution.  West Virginia and Georgetown were two other Big East schools to submit offers.  If he had any idea Marquette was going to cast him aside when the next great player came along he would have never signed a letter of intent to travel 1500 miles from home.  DJ was told by Buzz that he had every opportunity to earn playing time just like everyone else.  He never discussed prep school with Buzz.  He was cleared by the NCAA and ready to join the fray next week.  It's as simple as that.  Whether you choose to believe the kid and his coach is certainly your choice.  I can tell you, what I heard on the phone last night was every bit believable.  Tomorrow I will be conducting a sit down interview with Coach Laws and DJ.  I have already interviewed both of them twice and was just about to upload a full length feature on DJ's journey from Strawberry Mansion High School to Marquette University.  On Friday, you can hear the details of this unfortunate set of circumstances from the folks on this side of the table.

You're LYING!!  He knew all along he was going to a prep school.  He knew all along that his National Letter of Intent he signed was merely a placeholder and MU told him that it wasn't rock solid.

I look forward to the interview to stop of this ridiculous spin going on.

[NersEllenson]

If it's as simple is that, how come he had still not applied for admission?

I suspect the DJ camp will have a good answer ready and prepared for this question in the interview with Brad...however this one fact..is a fact..and a very important detail in this matter.  Why would a recruit NOT have his application to MU completed and sent in less than 1 week from his schedule arrival on campus.  The other peculiar thing to me in all of this was Golden Avalanche was proclaiming at the end of May that Newbill wouldn't be coming to MU.  How would an MUScoop poster know of this, before the kid (DJ) himself knew about it?

If this went down as IWB wrote, and I am more inclined to believe IWB's account than Philly Coach's, this is palatable - at best.  However, perception is reality, and most people's perceptions of this situation are that:  DJ was cut, and Wilson was signed to replace DJ - because Wilson is thought to be a better prospect.  And...that doesn't seem right to me.  I'm glad we have Jamil, but do not like the means by which we appear to have gotten him.  Would have much preferred Buzz/MU to not have LOI'd Newbill..and to have just let their verbal offer float...and if it got to a point where DJ said.."hey..I've got a concrete offer from WVY/GTown..but I want to go to MU...so, either LOI me now..and make it a 100% concrete deal - or I'm going to sign with GTwon."  Why not just go about it that way?

[TJ]

Even if the whole mess actually went down in a way that is 100% squeaky clean, Buzz needs to stop sending recruits packing during or before the summer session now.  2 in 2 years is 2 too many.

[Pakuni]

You're LYING!!  He knew all along he was going to a prep school.  He knew all along that his National Letter of Intent he signed was merely a placeholder and MU told him that it wasn't rock solid.

I look forward to the interview to stop of this ridiculous spin going on.

Of course you do.
In Chico's world:
Unknown coaches from Philly = rock solid truth tellers.
Solid insider from MU = liar.
Possibility that the truth lies somewhere in between = zero.

Hey Brad, if you're out there, some questions you might want to consider asking DJ:

- Why did you not apply to Marquette?
- Why were you not on campus with most of the other incoming players?
- Are you fully qualified at this moment? If so, when were you qualified?
- Did you ever discuss the possibility of attending prep school with the MU staff? If so, what was the discussed and decided?
- Did Marquette's staff discuss their offer and commitment to you as anything but unconditional?
- When did you last speak to a member of the coaching staff? What was the nature of that discussion?

[77ncaachamps]

Who is Brad Forster? Could someone please explain why this guy is so credible...

Because he's a Marquette grad who does voiceovers?***

Or a dentist?

Maybe a cop?

Or a manager...or a consultant...or a boatswain (bosun)?

But I could find nothing that's basketball related...

Wait...there was one Brad Forester who wrote an article on Kyrie Irving for a Duke messageboard... ***maybe the same dude

And another who produces YouTube videos...and was a sports an­chor/re­porter for WMFD tele­vi­sion in Ohio. ***same dude

[HoopsMalone]

I don't think we should kill the messengers here necessarily.  Forster is some MU guy in Philly it sounds like and Phillycoach will defend Newbill's side at all costs. 

[bradforster]

I will be happy to ask questions on behalf of MU fans on this board.  Please send them. 

[Doris Burkes Thong]

Where the hell is Tim Maymon when you need him? I'll wait for his comments before I take a side on who to believe here.

[MUfan12]

Where the hell is Tim Maymon when you need him? I'll wait for his comments before I take a side on who to believe here.

Post of the week.