One of the premiere talents in the country is off the board as 6-3 Vander Blue of Madison Memorial High School in Wisconsin has verbally committed to Marquette this afternoon.  This is a major coupe for Head Coach Buzz Williams and Marquette as they land one of the most electric 2010 prospects in the country who's ranked #28 in the country according to the NY2LASports.com 2010 Player Rankings released this past June.

An explosive perimeter talent, Blue is lethal combination of athleticism and versatility as he handles the ball well, can attack the rim off the dribble, has range that extends beyond the arc, can score in transition and has the ability to take over games on the offensive end.  Throw in solid athleticism and a fierce desire to win and it only makes sense that Blue became one of the most coveted talents in the country over the last 12 months. 

"Vander has committed to Marquette," Vander's mother Rita Blue said via telephone, "I like the fact that everything seemed like a good fit for my son both academically and basketball wise." 

After turning in an excellent effort in leading Memorial to the state ship last season, Blue exploded on the scene nationally with two big time showings at the 2009 NY2LASports.com Next Level Invitational and the 2009 NY2LASports.com Summer Jam tournaments this past July during the "live" evaluation periods.  Those performances saw Blue collect interest from the likes of Florida, UCLA, Kentucky, Connecticut, Arizona, etc. along with in state powers Marquette and Wisconsin.  After narrowing his list to 5 schools early this fall, Blue took an official visit to Marquette this past weekend and dropped the verbal on Coach Williams and the Golden Eagles this afternoon. 

"In the end it came down to Marquette and Wisconsin and both are excellent schools and unbelievable programs, Rita Blue added, "As a family we're very appreciative of the support from all the schools but I really want to thank Bo Ryan and Wisconsin who have been great to deal with throughout this entire process."  "In the end, Marquette ended being a great fit for Vander and our family and we're very excited at this opportunity."

Blue competed with the Milwaukee Spartans grassroots travel program this past summer.