Rumors of Vander Blue's decommitment to the University of Wisconsin have been swirling for months. So Tuesday, when a message on the Madison Memorial star's Facebook wall said he had made a "big decision for me" and will "really take in" the recruiting process, it caused quite a stir in Wisconsin.
Now we have a number of conflicting reports regarding Blue's future with the program.
Rivals.com reported Tuesday that Blue had already decommitted from Wisconsin. Meanwhile, both The Capital Times and Milwaukee State Journal responded to that report by reassuring fans that Blue had not yet notified the UW coaching staff that he intended to reopen his recruiting.
Rob Schultz, The Capital Times' basketball beat reporter, came back with a story Wednesday claiming Blue's poor grades were creating a divide with UW. In short, Blue might not qualify academically to play for the Badgers. The story said Blue and his mother met with members of the UW coaching staff (including Bo Ryan), academic advisors and the director of admissions. Apparently they mapped out a plan so Blue will be able to qualify.
But Schultz also added that Blue has received pressure from former Memorial teammate Jeronne Maymon to join him at Marquette. Apparently, Wes Matthews, another former Memorial player who just finished his career at Marquette, was putting pressure on Blue to be a Golden Eagle.
So the Badgers are covering their bases. Scout.com reported Wednesday that UW has re-offered a scholarship to Cameron Wright, a 6-5 combo guard from Cleveland Benedictine. Wright recently backed out of a verbal commitment to Ohio State and previously had an offer from Wisconsin before UW's 2010 scholarships were taken by Evan Anderson and Vander Blue.
Wright confirmed to Scout.com that UW had made the offer.
So where does this leave Blue? It's hard to tell. It appears Blue's future with the University of Wisconsin is in serious jeopardy, but Blue is a better player than Wright. If he can get his academics in order -- and he really does want to be a Badger -- then Blue could still sign a letter of intent with UW in the fall.
Only time will tell.