On Our Newest Eagle: Fool Me Once ...
by Rubie Q on Jun 30, 2010 12:36 PM CDT
in Hatchlings
24 comments
Far be it from me to rain on anyone's parade, but, lest we get lost in the celebration over the addition of former Racine Horlick forward (and now-former Oregon Duck) Jamil Wilson to YOUR Marquette Golden Eagles, lemme make a couple of points:
(1) I know it was a long, long, loooong time ago, but is everyone forgetting what Jamil said about Marquette -- and, to be more specific, Coach Buzz -- in November 2008? In case your selective memory isn't working today:
[Wilson] said he's down to three schools now after doing a little dance with Marquette University that ended last week.
Treutelaar said Marquette informed Wilson on Oct. 28 that they were no longer offering a scholarship. But two weeks later, Wilson said, the school contacted his father - James "Peanut" Wilson, who played on UW-Whitewater's 1984 NCAA Division III championship team - and said their offer was back on the table.
"That didn't make sense. I didn't really like that," Wilson said. "I told my father to tell them I didn't like them playing head games with me, and I told them they were off my list."
Just so I'm clear: we're all OK with this? And, more to the point, how in the hell is Coach Buzz OK with this, especially after what happened with Jeronne Maymon? We were willing to overlook a whole gaggle of red flags in Maymon's situation, and look where we ended up with that.
(2) Coach Buzz announced that, to make room for Wilson, DJ Newbill will not be attending Marquette come fall. The scuttlebutt is that Newbill may not have qualified for the upcoming season, and was the mystery player who Coach Buzz was referring to when he (Coach Buzz) said that one of our 2010 recruits was heading to prep school. If that's the case -- and it bears noting that, at this point, there's no solid evidence that it is the case -- some are apparently OK with the decision to release (read: cut) DJ from his schollie, since he wasn't going to qualify anyway.
But ...
Don't you have to assume that Coach Buzz and Co. knew about this situation when DJ committed? I find it hard to believe that this would've caught anyone unawares, especially with the unrelenting rumors that Newbill might not qualify over the last six months. Like the Mbao situation, the perception -- even if it's not reality -- will be that Marquette committed to the kid until something better (and bigger) came along.
(3) Simply: is Jamil Wilson worth all this fuss? Yes, he was dynamite for Horlick during his prep career, and he was a highly-sought-after player in 2008-'09, ultimately selecting Oregon after receiving interest from Marquette, UW-Madison, Michigan State, and Texas. But, for all that interest, he ended up picking the team that went 8-23 in 2008-'09, and then put up 4.7 points and 3.2 rebounds against woeful Pac-10 competition. That doesn't exactly inspire confidence in Wilson's ability to play in the paint in the big, bad Big East.
Anyway, that's why I'm concerned. But, as I said with my first comment on the subject: you knew that already.
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I made this point in the other thread, but since this is the center of discussion, I will repeat this....
In response to your….
“The scuttlebutt is that Newbill may not have qualified for the upcoming season, and was the mystery player who Coach Buzz was referring to when he (Coach Buzz) said that one of our 2010 recruits was heading to prep school. If that’s the case — and it bears noting that, at this point, there’s no solid evidence that it is the case”
, there actually is hard evidence that DJ wasn’t going to be at MU this summer. The recent release of the Milwaukee Pro-AM roster had one noticeable missing player, that being DJ Newbill. Every other MU player, including Jamail Jones, Davante Gardner, and Reggie Smith, were included on the list, so it was evident that something was going on with DJ and he wasn’t going to be playing at MU this fall. Due to this, it was risky for Buzz to count on DJ re-committing the following spring and considering who was on the market it was a win-win situation in my book.
The fact that he's not on the Pro-Am roster
is evidence that he wasn’t going to play here, not evidence that he didn’t qualify or that he somehow misled MU into thinking he would qualify.
SRS BSNS
ok...
So then why DJ? Did the players draw straws? Did Buzz lay all of their pictures on the floor, spit his dip, and wherever it landed, that player got the ax?
And then who is this mystery prep player? Aside from Vander Blue, all of the other remaining recruits are at MU and enrolled for the summer session. This wouldn’t be possible if they couldn’t qualify. How do you explain that?
For sake of argument, I'll assume he didn't qualify.
Do you really believe that Coach Buzz and the staff didn’t know that that was a possibility when they signed him?
SRS BSNS
It's entirely possible.
And it happens quite frequently. While DJ’s camp and Buzz’s staff may think everything checks out, that means nothing to the NCAA. In the end, Marquette and the NCAA has to validate classes, grades, scores, etc. before the student can be a part of the team.
A good example of this is class of ‘10 SG, Justin Coleman. A 4-star recruit that was hesitantly being recruited by MU. At the end of last summer/early fall, he was on record saying he was going to go to Marquette, but at the time MU never officially offerred because they were very afraid of his qualifying. In fact, a number of schools stayed away solely on this fear. Louisville came in late since nobody else was hard on him and offerred at their own risk. Word on the street is that he likely won’t qualify, but UoL is rolling the NCAA dice because they are so desperate for some depth at this point. If he doesn’t qualify, they lose out on a player this year, and odds are he doesn’t re-committ to them the following.
Just realized that I never responded to this question:
So then why DJ? Did the players draw straws?
Just a hunch, but it may have had something to do with this:
Vander Blue: ESPN100 Rank: 31. Position Rank: 7
Reggie Smith: Position Rank: 41
Jamail Jones: ESPN100 Rank: 53. Position Rank: 11
DJ Newbill: Position Rank: 194
SRS BSNS
Regarding the comments in '08.....
That was the first thing that I thought of when the rumor of this transfer was going around. It’s hard to put much stock into those statements in my opinion. I think Jamil wanted to go to MU, but he obviously got upset that MU was unsure of their scholarship availability and couldn’t clearly offer at the time. At that time, his future was in the balance, and he was upset at how everything shook out, so it’s understandable that he had a few choice words to give to a local reporter. I probably would have too. In the end however, his heart was at home and after sleeping on it for 18 months, he new MU was the right place for him.
At the end of the Crean area an administrative decision was made to “go for it”. Jucos, Diploma mill kids, clearinghouse kids years after year, and brutal roster moves against our kids were all put in play. Cottingham was instructed to “look the other way”
Now our once great program is as rogue as anyone’s this side of Kentucky. I am out.
Can’t stand it anymore. If Mark Miller will tell anyone that will listen that Wilson was paid to go to Oregon, then how did he get here? Are we living Blue Chips? I am saddened.
by BoylanButch77Champs on Jun 30, 2010 1:41 PM CDT reply actions
woah buddy
come back off the cliff…..I’m not buying your “look the other way” comment for a second.
as rogue as anyone’s this side of Kentucky.
Really? That has to be one of the more stupid things I’ve read on the situation. When you lose a coach, turnover is going to happen. Buzz lost Taylor, Christopherson, Nick Williams and Mbakwe with little or short notice. It’s kid of hard to replace strong D-1 talent on such short notice. If turnover continues to happen over the the next couple years, then I’ll worry, but right now, you’re completely overreacting.
Based on what IWB wrote on the situation, I’d say you can come back off the cliff. Then again. Nevermind. Go jump. We don’t want you.
by Admiral Ackbar, S.J. on Jun 30, 2010 3:28 PM CDT up reply actions
I ain't touchin' the first part ...
… but I’d like to comment on this:
Based on what IWB wrote on the situation, I’d say you can come back off the cliff.
I’d like to hear what DJ has to say before deciding that there’s no smoke, no fire here. IWB repeating the company line that the kid knew what was going on doesn’t assuage all my fears.
SRS BSNS
Agreed on the party line
I’m not buying much of that, house organs being what they are and all.
"When a guy takes off his coat, he's not going to fight. When a guy takes off his wristwatch, watch out!"
- Al McGuire
www.anonymouseagle.com
by Warrior Brad on Jun 30, 2010 9:18 PM CDT up reply actions
Of course not, but at AAU tourneys and other HS events he blabbed it all the time if you were an insider
by BoylanButch77Champs on Jun 30, 2010 1:55 PM CDT reply actions
The decision to go to Oregon was surprising.
Throughout the entire recruiting process he came off as a homebody, that wanted to stay close to his family. To head off to Eugene did seem odd. I thought he would end up here the entire time, but he strung out the dog and pony show so long that things clearly got a bit frayed, and an 18 year old kid shot his mouth of in the paper. Yes, I remember it, but I don’t put a ton of stock in it. I say stupid crap all the time, but no one ever publishes it for the world to read (thank God). Clearly he’s gotten over it, so can I.
I am glad he’s coming here. I look forward to watching him play for Marquette. I don’t think that he is a Maymon style headcase. I’ve never seen his dad in the paper talking about what position his son should be playing, how he should be used, or what he envisions for when he makes the NBA. If Jamil Wilson is transferring back home, I’m glad he’s coming to Marquette.
Yes, the Newbill dealings are unsightly no matter who’s at “fault”. I think all parties involved knew that they were taking a flyer on his scholarship. Maybe he wasn’t going to qualify? Maybe he dragged his feet thinking he may want to go play prep school ball, and see if he can go to a bigger school next year? Maybe MU totally screwed him over? I don’t know. I suspect, as always, the truth is some combination of all of that.
In summation: Yes, I am ok with this. I’m not doing backflips over it, but I will take it.
I take every thing at face value. I have blind faith in nobody.
Especially professional spinners
by BoylanButch77Champs on Jun 30, 2010 4:52 PM CDT reply actions
The interesting question...
Is how much stock do you put in his performance at Oregon last year? His numbers were not overwhelming by any stretch. He started, by my unofficial count, 12 games. But also DNP in 6 of the last 9. And he never scored more than 12 points in a game. This is not the resume of an impact player.
But we all saw him in high school – probably more than we did in the Pac 10. At that time he certainly appeared to be an impact guy. That’s the image I’m choosing to focus on. Who knows what the factors were out in Oregon last season. He may have been dinged. He may have fallen out of the rotation while Ernie Kent scrambled to save his job. I don’t know. I just hope that, a year from now, we’re talking about all the good things we’ve heard about what Wilson is going to do for our squad.
To answer your question.....very little.
Very few freshman come in and make an immediate impact. There are only so many John Wall’s out there. To make a comparison that we can easily identify with, I look at the freshman seasons of Lazar, Wes, and Jerel. All were top 100 guys coming out of high school, and while their numbers may have been slightly higher than Jamil’s after 1 season, I would argue that 1) the young Golden Eagles were handed the keys to the car the minute they stepped on campus and 2) it’s more difficult for “bigs” to adjust to the NCAA than guards and wing players. And who knows, maybe Jamil was a bit out of his comfort zone in the Pacific northwest, which may be another “layer” to his reason for transferring from Oregon.
As I have previously stated, I think that Jamil wanted to play at MU all along. IMO, this move is going to boost Jamil’s level of play immensely. He’s back home playing for the school that he originally wanted to attend, can play in front of his family/friends, will be playing with guys that he played with in high school (Vander), and is at a more stable and overall successful program. All that said, I think this situation will best allow him to become the player that everyone thought he was going to be coming out of Racine.
My intuition has been verified...
According to Jamil (in Rosiak’s latest article),
“Wilson said Kent’s ouster had some bearing on his transfer, but his decision ultimately was based mostly on homesickness”.
That's pretty much my thought
Even if it’s just me burying my head in the sand, I’ve chosen to view him as the kid I saw in high schoo and really wanted to come here. There’s a lot of factors that can play into a kid having success or not in his first year.
by Mr. Kensington on Jul 1, 2010 10:00 AM CDT up reply actions
This is not good
At least one national media member has weighed in. Yeesh.
"When a guy takes off his coat, he's not going to fight. When a guy takes off his wristwatch, watch out!"
- Al McGuire
www.anonymouseagle.com
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