[Rosiak's Blog] Recruit wrapup: Vander Blue

[ToddRosiakSays]

Recruit wrapup: Vander Blue
               

Motivation? Vander Blue certainly won't be lacking for any heading into his first season in the Big East.
               

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/92111434.html
               

[State Street Warrior]

Grown to 6'5 and 190?  That sounds pretty good, almost the exact same size as when Wes came to MU.  If he works as hard as Wes did, and Jimmy (which it sounds like he wants to) he will be something really special. 

[Skatastrophy]

Don't read the comments on the article.  The UW@Madison trolls are out in force crying about this whole situation again.

It sounds like Vander has a great head on his shoulders.  With that attitude he'll fit right in at MU.  I'm excited for him to be able to move to Milwaukee and onto a campus where he won't feel like he's being attacked all the time.  I suppose that's one of the perils of being from a small town.

[DJO's Pump Fake]

Badger fans learned how to cry from their beloved head coach

[GGGG]

""This whole year I've had all As and Bs, and one C, and that was in a college math class," he said.

Nice.

[Hards Alumni]

Don't read the comments on the article.  The UW@Madison trolls are out in force crying about this whole situation again.

It sounds like Vander has a great head on his shoulders.  With that attitude he'll fit right in at MU.  I'm excited for him to be able to move to Milwaukee and onto a campus where he won't feel like he's being attacked all the time.  I suppose that's one of the perils of being from a small town.

commet section actually seems pretty tame.

[MUEng92]

This one made me laugh out loud.

"KurtPortmann - Apr 26, 2010 4:10 PM

Blue might be better off at MU, because there's probably less pressure, and it's a little more under the radar than UW. The Big East has a few more cupcakes on the schedule on the lower end of the conference. Also, less people watching at MU=less pressure, and a coach who isn't willing to bench players quite as much when they don't perform well. Whether you like his style or not, Bo Ryan won't play players who don't perform well within the team concept.

You also have the 100% graduation rate for the MU men's basketball program--which definitely means a lot less pressure on the academic end of things. "

Under the radar...seriously...  UW is the definition of "under the radar".  If 10% of even serious basketball fans across the country could name a single person on Wisconsin's team, I would be floored.  Of course, if the total was indeed below 10%, I am certain it would be because playing as a team is more important to Bo, and if any one player was too much better than his teammates, Bo would bench him too.

If this were coming from a fan of UNC, Duke, etc. that would be one thing.  I can honestly say, when I was in high school in northern Illinois, (not 70 miles from Madison), I thought of UW only as a hockey school because the only exposure I had to that school was watching their hockey games on PBS.  I also remember being disappointed when the best player at our school, Danny Jones, went to Wisconsin, because it meant he wasn't nearly as good as I thought he was.  If he was that good, he would have gone to Illinois.  And football...our newspaper wouldn't even cover their football games because no one even knew they played football.

Now suddenly they are on an historical level with UCLA, UNC & Duke in basketball and USC, Notre Dame & Ohio State in football.

[Dawson Rental]

This one made me laugh out loud.

"KurtPortmann - Apr 26, 2010 4:10 PM

Blue might be better off at MU, because there's probably less pressure, and it's a little more under the radar than UW. The Big East has a few more cupcakes on the schedule on the lower end of the conference. Also, less people watching at MU=less pressure, and a coach who isn't willing to bench players quite as much when they don't perform well. Whether you like his style or not, Bo Ryan won't play players who don't perform well within the team concept.

You also have the 100% graduation rate for the MU men's basketball program--which definitely means a lot less pressure on the academic end of things. "

Under the radar...seriously...  UW is the definition of "under the radar".  If 10% of even serious basketball fans across the country could name a single person on Wisconsin's team, I would be floored.  Of course, if the total was indeed below 10%, I am certain it would be because playing as a team is more important to Bo, and if any one player was too much better than his teammates, Bo would bench him too.

If this were coming from a fan of UNC, Duke, etc. that would be one thing.  I can honestly say, when I was in high school in northern Illinois, (not 70 miles from Madison), I thought of UW only as a hockey school because the only exposure I had to that school was watching their hockey games PBS.  I also remember being disappointed when the best player at our school, Danny Jones, went to Wisconsin, because it meant he wasn't nearly as good as I thought he was.  If he was that good, he would have gone to Illinois.  And football...our newspaper wouldn't even cover their football games because no one even knew they played football.

Now suddenly they are on an historical level with UCLA, UNC & Duke in basketball and USC, Notre Dame & Ohio State in football.

To really get himself on the radar, what Vander needs to do is to go from playing all of his high school basketball in Madison to playing all his college basketball in Madison, as well.  It makes perfect (Bucky) sense to me.

A post like this (not the one from MUEng92, but the one he's quoting from) just goes to show how devastated Wisconsin fans were to lose Vander.  The next four years WU MU games are going to be something special for Vander and Wisconsin fans.

[shiloh26]

6'5''?  I don't know... I go grad school on Madison, and I passed Vander on the street while the state men's HS championships were going on.  I wished him luck and told him I'd be rooting for him next year, and he stopped to do a fist bump thing.  Point is, I saw him up close, and I don't think he's much more than 6'3''.  Its not impossible that he grew an inch or two in a month, but I doubt he's really 6'5." 

On a separate note, that post is absolutely ridiculous.  How a fan of a conference that trotted out Northwestern, Penn State, Iowa, and Indiana (couldn't help myself) last year say with a straight face that the Big East has a few cupcakes?  They are absolutely burned that Vander left... I just hope that Vander doesn't let the jitters come over him like they seemed to for Wes (sophomore and junior version) when we play them. 

[LAMUfan]

6'5'' listed means 6'3'' in real life most of the time.  everyones height is evevated when its reported.

[Dawson Rental]

6'5''?  I don't know... I go grad school on Madison, and I passed Vander on the street while the state men's HS championships were going on.  I wished him luck and told him I'd be rooting for him next year, and he stopped to do a fist bump thing.  Point is, I saw him up close, and I don't think he's much more than 6'3''.  Its not impossible that he grew an inch or two in a month, but I doubt he's really 6'5." 

On a separate note, that post is absolutely ridiculous.  How a fan of a conference that trotted out Northwestern, Penn State, Iowa, and Indiana (couldn't help myself) last year say with a straight face that the Big East has a few cupcakes?  They are absolutely burned that Vander left... I just hope that Vander doesn't let the jitters come over him like they seemed to for Wes (sophomore and junior version) when we play them. 

Thanks for the intelligent (and classy) post.  Should I ever wander over to the Badger board, I'd hope that I could keep my raving fanaticism in check as well as you have while posting there.

[brewcity77]

6'5'' listed means 6'3'' in real life most of the time.  everyones height is evevated when its reported.

Reminds me of D-Wade's last season at Marquette. He started the year at 6'3", was 6'4" by the end of the year, and 6'5" come tourney time. Standard stuff when it comes to basketball.

[HoopsMalone]

I am always in awe of the inflated opinion of UW fans.  Their name does not come to mind when you think of top academic schools, top basketball schools, or top football schools except maybe in the state of Wisconsin.  It's a solid school all around, but to think that they have academics that kids at Marquette could not handle is a joke.  I have a few friends who did their undergrad at Madison and they are doing fine, but they certainly did not work hard in school.  And to think Madison's basketball program is more prestigious or gets more media attention, well... that is even more of a joke. 

But, it probably isn't going anyway so I am glad that UW's little run with Hughes, Tucker, Butch, and company is over.  Bo had players, now he has a lot less talent.  It doesn't take much to finish in the top half of the Big Ten, but we will see how they do now with a lot less talent.

[GGGG]

I am always in awe of the inflated opinion of UW fans.  Their name does not come to mind when you think of top academic schools, top basketball schools, or top football schools except maybe in the state of Wisconsin.  It's a solid school all around, but to think that they have academics that kids at Marquette could not handle is a joke.  I have a few friends who did their undergrad at Madison and they are doing fine, but they certainly did not work hard in school.  And to think Madison's basketball program is more prestigious or gets more media attention, well... that is even more of a joke. 

But, it probably isn't going anyway so I am glad that UW's little run with Hughes, Tucker, Butch, and company is over.  Bo had players, now he has a lot less talent.  It doesn't take much to finish in the top half of the Big Ten, but we will see how they do now with a lot less talent.

I'm not sure UW is going to be *that* much less talented than they were last year.  They have to replace their starting backcourt, but Jordan Taylor played a lot last year and even started in place of Hughes for a few games the year before.  They have a 4 star junior in Rob Wilson who will probably start at the 2.  They have their leading scorer in Jon Leuer back, plus a decent 4 in Nankivil.

I guess my point is I don't think they had great talent to begin with and the people they have now continue that trend.

[Hards Alumni]

I'm not sure UW is going to be *that* much less talented than they were last year.  They have to replace their starting backcourt, but Jordan Taylor played a lot last year and even started in place of Hughes for a few games the year before.  They have a 4 star junior in Rob Wilson who will probably start at the 2.  They have their leading scorer in Jon Leuer back, plus a decent 4 in Nankivil.

I guess my point is I don't think they had great talent to begin with and the people they have now continue that trend.

they will not finish higher than 4th in the big ten.

[GGGG]

they will not finish higher than 4th in the big ten.

That might be true, but my point is that I don't think they have lost all that much talent that isn't replaceable by those on their roster right now...which is what Hoops was suggesting.

[Litehouse]

This one made me laugh out loud.

"KurtPortmann - Apr 26, 2010 4:10 PM

When your frame of reference is the Kurt Portman era at UW, anything else looks good in comparison.

[butchbadger]

Maybe the inflated view is because of this:

http://www.sportingnews.com/college-basketball/article/2008-03-26/the-list-top-10-combination-basketball-football-schools


I have seen a number of these and UW is always ranked in the top 10.

Throw in 6 NCAA hockey titles and you have an athletic super power.

[Litehouse]

"The best part: Badgers fans support both teams equally, in full force and in full throat at all times."
This makes me wonder if this guy has ever been to the Kohl Center.  It can certainly get loud at times, but it's usually earily quiet with a few loud outbursts.

[JWags85]

Maybe the inflated view is because of this:

http://www.sportingnews.com/college-basketball/article/2008-03-26/the-list-top-10-combination-basketball-football-schools


I have seen a number of these and UW is always ranked in the top 10.

Throw in 6 NCAA hockey titles and you have an athletic super power.

Any list that has UCONN, Louisville, and Kansas, 3 schools with minimal football history and even recent success, is ridiculous.  Minus the last 5 years, Michigan should be up there.  Hell, Michigan State has had about as much football success as those 3 recently.

[BrewCity83]

"The best part: Badgers fans support both teams equally, in full force and in full throat at all times."
This makes me wonder if this guy has ever been to the Kohl Center.  It can certainly get loud at times, but it's usually earily quiet with a few loud outbursts.

...of snoring.

[LON]

Maybe the inflated view is because of this:

http://www.sportingnews.com/college-basketball/article/2008-03-26/the-list-top-10-combination-basketball-football-schools


I have seen a number of these and UW is always ranked in the top 10.

Throw in 6 NCAA hockey titles and you have an athletic super power.

People still read the SportingNews?

I guess so, especially when it props up your over-inflated view of yourself.

[PE8983]

"In my four blurry years of University of Wisconsin studentry, I did more than learn to make up words. I also ran the table of ineptitude with four bad basketball teams and four football teams that combined for an almost unimaginably foul record of -- are you ready for this? -- 9-35 during the 1988-91 seasons."

Says it all...

[butchbadger]

here is another (probably better)  list: http://rockytoprowdy.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/5816417/6121696


Either way...deny if you want...very few schools are good at both major sports.

[copious1218]

Maybe the inflated view is because of this:

http://www.sportingnews.com/college-basketball/article/2008-03-26/the-list-top-10-combination-basketball-football-schools


I have seen a number of these and UW is always ranked in the top 10.

Throw in 6 NCAA hockey titles and you have an athletic super power.

I'm just happy you acknowledged that your view is inflated.