Milwaukee – The Marquette University men’s basketball program has signed Madison Memorial High School standout Vander Blue prep star and Jamail Jones to National Letters of Intent, head coach Buzz Williams announced Wednesday afternoon.

 Blue, a 6-4, 185-pounder, will arrive on campus this summer and have four years of eligibility with the Golden Eagles.

  “We are very excited have Vander join our family,” Williams said.  “So much has been said of who Vander is as a player and that is easily justifiable. What hasn’t been said enough though, is who Vander is as a person. He is a better person than he is a player, and he will fit perfectly into the culture of our program, and will be a great representative of our institution on and off the floor.”

 Blue is a consensus top-40 prospect according to the national recruiting outlets, including a ranking of 22nd among players in the 2010 class by Rivals.com.  He is ranked 27th by Scout.com and HoopScoopOnline.com, 34th in the ESPNU Top 100 and 35th by Hoopmasters.com.  Blue was also tabbed the top player in the state of Wisconsin in 2009-10 by ESPN.com.

 Playing alongside current Golden Eagle Jeronne Maymon at Madison Memorial High School, Blue helped the Spartans to the state title in 2008-09 under head coach Steve Collins.  He averaged 17.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game en route to all-conference and all-state accolades.  The Spartans concluded the campaign 26-1 and Blue’s 458 points were the sixth-best single-season total in school history.

 As a sophomore, Blue averaged 13.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per outing and helped the team to the state championship game.  He was named to the all-city squad and also earned a spot on the all-league roster.  Blue was second on the roster in steals and blocked shots.

 During his tenure, the program has posted an overall record of 49-4 and claimed a pair of regional and sectional titles.  Blue currently ranks ninth all-time in scoring with 797 points and is third all-time in steals (126).

 “As much notoriety that has come his way as a player, he has handled it all the right way as a person, because of how his family has raised him,” Williams said.

Jones, a 6-6, 205-pounder, will arrive on campus this summer and have four years of eligibility with the Golden Eagles.

  “From the very first time I met Jamail, I genuinely appreciated his spirit,” Williams said.  “In many ways, he reminded me of Wesley Matthews during that initial encounter. He has an outgoing personality, he is confident in who he is, yet humble and thankful for where he is. His parents and coaches have been perfect role models for him and within minutes he is someone you want to root for on and off the floor.”

 Jones is considered one of the nation’s top prospects by several recruiting services.  He is ranked 61st by ESPN.com’s ESPNU 100, 65th by Rivals.com, 74th by Hoopmasters.com and 112th by HoopScoopOnline.com.

 He competed his junior campaign in 2008-09 at Green Forest Christian Academy in Decatur, Ga., and posted season averages of 17.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 3.0 blocks per game.  The Eagles advanced to the state playoffs after capturing the regional title and concluded the year with an overall record of 26-4.  For his efforts, Jones was named the region’s most valuable player and he claimed the same accolade from his team.

 Jones helped the squad to a 16-9 overall record in 2007-08 and was named the program’s offensive player of the year after contributing 14.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per contest.  He also earned a spot on the all-region team.

 A three-year letterwinner at the school, Jones was tabbed to the all-region roster as a freshman and was also the squad’s newcomer of the year.

 On the AAU circuit, Jones competed for Hoop Planet in tournaments across the nation, including the Grassroots Basketball of America event.

 Jones will play at Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., in 2009-10 under head coach Kevin Sutton.

 “He has continued to improve since he committed, and I anticipate that is what I will be saying this time next year,” Williams added.  “His versatility will allow him to do multiple things on both ends of the floor and as we continue to shape our roster, that is one of the characteristics we value the most.”