Davante Gardner - still waiting

[NYWarrior]

""The AAU coach for Virginia center Davante Gardner said Tuesday night that he likely will need a few more days before making a decision between USF and Marquette. "

http://blogs.tampabay.com/usf/2010/04/combo-guard-haynes-signs-with-usf-basketball.html

[brewcity77]

Hopefully he can pay his own way if he picks Marquette, or get an academic scholarship, since we're out of basketball scholarships.

[chapman]

Hopefully he can pay his own way if he picks Marquette, or get an academic scholarship, since we're out of basketball scholarships.

It means someone else has to leave.  Simple as that.  If he wants to come here, he will have a spot.

[MUCrew]

Dumb question, but I thought I would ask:

Someone on the team would need to be taken off the team before we can offer a scholie, correct?  It's not like we can offer, have the recruit accept, and then figure out what to do with the "odd-guy-out?"  

I've always wondered how we can offer 7 or 8 recruits scholarships and accept only 2 or 3 (sort of realize that maybe this topic has been rehashed a bit on this board).  Is it a wait-and-see kind of process.  Feel free to enlighten me.

But back OT, maybe Gardner is waiting for that odd-man-out?

[Boone]

It's not realistic to speculate that he'd pay his own way.

[bma725]

Dumb question, but I thought I would ask:

Someone on the team would need to be taken off the team before we can offer a scholie, correct?  It's not like we can offer, have the recruit accept, and then figure out what to do with the "odd-guy-out?"  

I've always wondered how we can offer 7 or 8 recruits scholarships and accept only 2 or 3 (sort of realize that maybe this topic has been rehashed a bit on this board).  Is it a wait-and-see kind of process.  Feel free to enlighten me.

You can offer as many kids as you want to offer, there's no limit on that.  Every school offers many more kids than they have available scholarships, you have to do so to be able to actually fill the spots.

You can sign more kids than you have spots as well.  The only requirement is that you are down to 13 scholarships by the time the season starts.  Some conferences have rules against oversigning, but the Big East isn't one of them.

[brewcity77]

Sorry, should have used teal to indicate my sarcasm. I know he won't pay his own way.

But personally, I'm fine with next year's team. I don't see any reason to get rid of anyone. If someone chose to transfer, that's their decision, but there's no one I want to see transfer. Clearly none of the new recruits. We need DJO and Butler. Otule and Mbao both have great size and are only sophomores. Buycks and Fulce both provide experience and depth. Cadougan and Williams were both just freshmen last year and should develop into fantastic players in the next three years.

I'm all for adding as much talent as we possibly can, but we have a solid core right now. We have guys who are ready to lead us now, we have guys look ready to make the jump to major contributors by next year, and we have plenty of youth to keep us going for the next few years. Buzz has put together the right mix of classes. I am perfectly content to see us go forward with our team just as it is.

[NersEllenson]

Anybody heard anything on this kid - from my research it doesn't look like he's signed with South Florida as of yet??  I'm not a Rivals or Scout Member so don't have access to check all sites, but from my review of USF blog, it didn't looked like he signed as of yesterday.  Kind of bizarre in that its been a week now, and his AAU coach said on April 14th that he just needed a couple of more days to finalize his decision..yet its been a week?

Speculation anyone?

[GOMU1104]

I've always wondered how we can offer 7 or 8 recruits scholarships and accept only 2 or 3 (sort of realize that maybe this topic has been rehashed a bit on this board).  Is it a wait-and-see kind of process.  Feel free to enlighten me.

But back OT, maybe Gardner is waiting for that odd-man-out?

"Offers" are often conditional...that is how a team can have 8 "offers" out there when they may only have 2 spots.

A kid may receive an offer from a school, but that doesnt mean it is unconditional and just commit right then and there.  He may have the offer, but the coaches may not take his commitment until they are ready. Say a coach offers 2 PGs...The better one can commit when he wants (unconditional) while the 2nd PG's offer is contingent on whether or not the other PG commits.  Both PGs still have "offers," but not all "offers" are created equal.

That is why you have to be careful when you read an article about a kid that has "offers" from various schools. Kids not only lie about even having "offers," but also misrepresent what they actually are. And because coaches cannot comment on unsigned recruits, there is no way to call the kids out for lying about their "offers."

Some kid may say hes "choosing" between 2-3 schools, when in fact, the Coach may be the one doing the choosing, between 2-3 different players.

BTW...I have a feeling this is what is happening with Gardner. I dont think it is necessarily on him to make a decision...but rather he has to wait for the "OK" to make his decision.

[NersEllenson]

BTW...I have a feeling this is what is happening with Gardner. I dont think it is necessarily on him to make a decision...but rather he has to wait for the "OK" to make his decision.

From all I've read it sounds like he has a standing offer from USF - the fact he hasn't accepted that, yet lists MU as a finalist, makes me think MU is his first choice - but perhaps Buzz isn't ready to pull the trigger just yet, as maybe there need to be a few more dominos that need to fall..either regarding our current roster status/eligibility...or with other recruits of interest - Cothron, Swilling, etc.?  Any insight 1104?

[VegasWarrior77]

From all I've read it sounds like he has a standing offer from USF - the fact he hasn't accepted that, yet lists MU as a finalist, makes me think MU is his first choice - but perhaps Buzz isn't ready to pull the trigger just yet, as maybe there need to be a few more dominos that need to fall..either regarding our current roster status/eligibility...or with other recruits of interest - Cothron, Swilling, etc.?  Any insight 1104?

+1

[GOMU1104]

Any insight 1104?

Nothing more than what I already posted.

[Vega]

From all I've read it sounds like he has a standing offer from USF - the fact he hasn't accepted that, yet lists MU as a finalist, makes me think MU is his first choice - but perhaps Buzz isn't ready to pull the trigger just yet, as maybe there need to be a few more dominos that need to fall..either regarding our current roster status/eligibility...or with other recruits of interest - Cothron, Swilling, etc.?  Any insight 1104?

+1

-1 that's not what he's waiting on. In fact things point to Gardner having already made up his mind and that would explain why he's not taking his recruitment serious the last week.

I mean Marquette is a good program but UNC, KU, or UK it isn't. Kids wait on those kind of programs. If he was that blown away and dedicated to Marq then he would have committed weeks ago w/o taking other visits. That's normally what they tend to do.

I think we will know real soon what Gardner's big secret is. Could be USF, Marq, or soon other unknown.

[GOMU1104]

If he was that blown away and dedicated to Marq then he would have committed weeks ago w/o taking other visits. That's normally what they tend to do.

Not if MU wasnt "blown away and dedicated to" HIM...It goes both ways.

[dwaderoy2004]

Yeah Vega, that is everybody's point.  Maybe Gardner has already told Buzz that he would love to be at Marquette and is committed.  However, Buzz has not accepted that commitment because he is waiting on other recruits, trying to figure out how to fit him on the roster, etc.  Until Buzz officially accepts or declines the committment, Gardner is silent.

[94Warrior]

I see four options:
1.  Gardner is waiting on MU (conditional offer),
2.  Gardner is waiting on USF (conditional offer),
3.  Gardner hasn't completely made up his mind,
4.  Gardner is waiting for an unnamed school to offer.

If option #1 is the true reason, I suspect Buzz has told him to hold off until after the Dieng visit.  At this juncture in time, I think Buzz knows he has a 2010 scholarship to offer.

FWIW, Dieng has been very impressive as of late, and many believe he is vastly underrated.

[Jay Bee]

...maybe waiting on this Noreen visit

[bamamarquettefan]

I am really torn on this.  I am happy with next year's roster, hope all the kids are happy with the program, and would hate to see anyone pushed out.

HOWEVER, we may never get over the hump if we once again have only one strong guy on the roster, and he is 6-foot-6.  The good news is with Mboa/Otule we can have a shotblocker on the court that we've lacked the entire decade.  However, the other half of the equation is watching a game like Syracuse where Lazar is muscling up with one guy, and every other Big East wide body is crashing the board for offensive rebounds or easy layups and we just have no defense.

Jae Crowder looks like a stud who will fill Lazar's shoes as well as possible.  However, running a four guard offense (DJO, Junior, Vander Blue and Butler) and Crowder won't work in a lot of games in the BE.  If we can get a TRUE powerful center like Davante Gardner or Dieng then I believe you have to make the upgrade and give yourself a physical option.  I just hope Buzz would only bump someone if it is a true MAJOR upgrade, and not a minor tweak in the roster that would displace someone.

[Boone]

Noreen's undoubtedly got skills, but his game isn't built on rebounding or strong interior play. Pass.

[mufansince72]

Noreen averaged 20 boards per game. 

[DawsonCreekFillanderer]

Gardner tipped the scales north of 320...how you say? Lloyd Moore?

[willie warrior]

I am really torn on this.  I am happy with next year's roster, hope all the kids are happy with the program, and would hate to see anyone pushed out.

HOWEVER, we may never get over the hump if we once again have only one strong guy on the roster, and he is 6-foot-6.  The good news is with Mboa/Otule we can have a shotblocker on the court that we've lacked the entire decade.  However, the other half of the equation is watching a game like Syracuse where Lazar is muscling up with one guy, and every other Big East wide body is crashing the board for offensive rebounds or easy layups and we just have no defense.

How do we know that either of these "shotblockers" will play next year--or will they be hospitalized again?

[Boone]

Look behind the numbers. The competition Noreen faced wasn't very stiff.

[ATL MU Warrior]

Look behind the numbers. The competition Noreen faced wasn't very stiff.

I'm on this board as much as the next guy but this one is completely over my head.  Who or what is Noreen?  What did I miss?

[Boone]

6'8" 190 lb. Kevin Noreen got out of his LOI to BC and according to someone on Gopher Hole he's visiting MU this weekend.