Wisconsin Recruit Decommits due to message board comments

[newshock1234]

i thought this was pretty interesting

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11776517

"These so-called Wisconsin fans, what they had to say on those [message boards], it really made me second-guess: Do people really want me here?" Blue told Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "Because I know if I was a fan and I heard about a recruit [who might be struggling academically], I'd be more like: 'What can we do to help him?' And not, 'Let's make him feel like the worst person in Madison right now.'"

Vander Blue decommitted from Wisconsin earlier this week.

[shockersince71]

This is a very important read that I hope
all TRUE SHOCKER FANS will take the time
to read and think about.
We whom truly love our teams often cringe
when reading a post that is that harsh on a
young man or woman.
Remember most are kids and most are
under the age of 21.
These kids are not of the same mold and
makeup of the kids of past generations.
I think there is a different set of rules for
the pros at the next level.

[SubGod22]

This will happen from time to time but ANY recruit who reads a message board should expect to hear all sorts of views and opinions. To think that things will always be positive around all players/recruits is ridiculous.

There have also been stories of guys who've been inspired by negative posts to prove people wrong and they get better.

If a message board and its fans cause you to back out it is what it is. But I have to wonder if that person has the fortitude to succeed at this level. If we make everything all rainbows and ice cream and unicorns than we're doing nothing but helping the wussification of America movement that's been going on.

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

As long as I see hustle and effort and your not killing people I dont have much of a problem.

I guess someone should tell this kid to get the broomstick out of his butt

[wushock]

I believe there are some things said on this board by certain people that would run a recruit or present player off.

[Zardoz]

I believe there are some things said on this board by certain people that would run a recruit or present player off.

Any player that believes what he or she reads here or any fan board (and this one is nicer than most due to the excellent staff) and gives it any credence should not read fan boards and may not be ready for life in D1 sports in general. If you are playing at this level every aspect of your life is going to be somewhat under the microscope. You take the good with the bad.

Do you think, to grab two random players take Matt Braeuer and Paul Miller paid and attention to what we said here? If they did it just inspired them to play harder.

[150946shox]

This will happen from time to time but ANY recruit who reads a message board should expect to hear all sorts of views and opinions. To think that things will always be positive around all players/recruits is ridiculous.

There have also been stories of guys who've been inspired by negative posts to prove people wrong and they get better.

If a message board and its fans cause you to back out it is what it is. But I have to wonder if that person has the fortitude to succeed at this level. If we make everything all rainbows and ice cream and unicorns than we're doing nothing but helping the wussification of America movement that's been going on.

Speaking from experience, I was very sensitive as a youngster. I could have been badly hurt from reading message board stuff. Yes, I outgrew it, but it was bad at the time.

I know that coaching staffs will sometimes be very hard on players, but this is face to face and the players can know that the staff is only trying to help.

Sometimes, I read really cruel stuff on message boards and cannot help but feel that the writer would probably never have the guts to say the same thing to the player / coach / other poster face to face. Anonymous posting makes it easy for cowards.

Thankfully, I have not seen many on this board who are that way.

[SFL]

Mr. Blue might enjoy this 27 page ValleyTalk thread. :innocent:

http://valleytalk.net/showthread.php?t=8253

[Shox21]

I tend to agree that if a player or recruit lets what is said about them on a message board dictate what decisions they make and what paths they go down in life, they are absolsutely not ready for D1 play, because both praise and criticism come with the territory.

What I got from the article was that he committed when he was 15 and decommitted when he was 16 because he wanted to look around and make sure everything fit. Sounds to me like to realized he might have committed too young and decided to play "indian-giver" and take back his commitment so he could be open if a better offer comes around. Where were his advisors? Where were the adults who should have been advising him at age 15? Are they the same adults advising him now at 16?

This 16-year-old kid is definitely not ready for D1 (either in age or maturity). I don't think the NCAA should allow any child of 15 to commit to a University D1 program in sports. If he is good enough, that commitment will still be there two years later when he is a senior in high school. He was too young to commit last year and he's still too young to digest a lot of criticism about himself. If he is having trouble with grades and can't handle the academics in high school, how is he going to handle them at the university level?

However that is not what this article is about. It's about posters who post with no regard of who may be reading what is spewed out. I've read on other boards some really scathing things said about recruits and players (their own as well as from other schools). Some so harsh I'm sure even a mature adult human would seethe about it. It's a good lesson to keep in mind while posting. The "crap" that appears on some boards (Valleytalk) is exactly why I don't post very often and in fact don't visit much any more at all. I would rather stay here and read posts that for the most part have some value to them.

[SpanglerFan316]

http://www.badgerbeat.com/news/article/id/451849

- Blue also was upset about comments on the internet by UW fans, though later in the press conference he said those didn't drive him to decommit. Still, he was obviously bothered by them.

So why did he decommit?


- As for Blue's take on the story, here it is:
"I'm a cool, calm kind of guy, so I didn't get real hyped up and angry. ... It hurt my family, I think, more than it actually hurt me, because I knew it wasn't true, but now they've got my mom walking around and people looking at her like her son is just a basketball player. But that's never been the strategy in my family. It's always been school, then basketball."

[lawmaker]

This will happen from time to time but ANY recruit who reads a message board should expect to hear all sorts of views and opinions. To think that things will always be positive around all players/recruits is ridiculous.

SubGod +1

[wu_shizzle]

Put me in the "Welcome to D1 basketball" camp.

If the AAU coddling hasn't worn off by the time you show up to campus, trust me it will by the time a D1 coaching staff gets a hold of you.