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Update: Hoops star Maymon is Marquette-bound

Dennis Semrau  —  5/28/2008 8:59 am

There is nothing like a good rivalry to fire up a crowd at a college basketball game.

So when Jeronne Maymon announced Tuesday morning that he would be attending Marquette University in 2009, the Madison Memorial junior did his part to keep fan the flames of the in-state rivalry between Marquette and University of Wisconsin fans.

After drawing lukewarm interest from former coach Tom Crean, Maymon and his family were impressed when new Marquette coach Buzz Williams put on a full-court press when it mattered the most.

"I made the decision this morning," Maymon said following a press conference at the Genesis Enterprise Center on Madison's south side early Tuesday morning. "It was down to USC and Marquette (Monday) night. But I made the decision when I got up around 6:30 a.m."

Simply put, Maymon believes he is a better fit for the Golden Eagles then the Badgers, who never offered him a scholarship. The 6-foot-6, 235-pound forward is currently ranked No. 58 in the nation in the class of 2009 by Scout.com.

"I'm happy that he made the best decision for him," Memorial coach Steve Collins said of Maymon, whose final five schools also included Baylor, Kansas and Tennessee. "Jeronne and his family wanted to make an early decision so he could focus on school. It will take a lot of pressure off him heading into his senior year."

Maymon's father, Tim, admittedly wasn't shy about wanting his son to play for big-name programs like Southern Cal of the Pac-10 or Tennessee of the SEC.

But Jeronne Maymon, whose game and reputation on the court has grown by leaps and bounds the past two seasons, tabbed the Golden Eagles as his team of choice following an unofficial visit to the school last week and much soul-searching Monday night.

As far as Maymon is concerned, the recruiting process is finally over.

"The school I chose is because of their style of play and I trust the coach," Maymon said of Williams, who took over the reins of the Golden Eagles' program when Crean was hired as the new coach at Indiana University. "Even though he's a new coach, I trust in him. I think he's going to push me to become a better player and a better person as a whole."

Heavy recruiting interest

Last week, Tim Maymon said his son would make his decision from nine schools that offered scholarships — Baylor, Iowa State, Marquette, Providence, Temple, Tennessee, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Green Bay and USC.

In the end, Jeronne Maymon liked what Marquette had to offer him as a player and a person.

"I like the Big East (Conference) and I had a couple of conversations with Wesley Matthews over the weekend," Maymon said of the former Memorial star who will be a senior at Marquette this fall. "He gave me some more insight on what the coach was looking for. I like how (Williams is) going to run his team. He wants the players to make their own plays."

Maymon joins joins 6-7 Erik Williams of Cypress Springs High School near Houston in the 2009 recruiting class for Marquette. Williams is currently ranked No. 88 in the country by Scout.com.

Maymon said the Golden Eagles' recruiting class is off to a great start. But he is also pleased to be playing close to home.

"The other reason I chose the school was because of the location. I've been going to Milwaukee all my life. I like the Bradley Center. I think that it will be a good place for me to continue to play ball. My family will be there to support me. We prayed on this. Hopefully, this works out for the best."

Tim Maymon, who admitted last week that USC was first on his own list, wholeheartedly supported his son's decision.

"All I can say is, 'Go Marquette.' I'm going to be there, running up and down the court like I do everywhere else. Nothing's going to change. The only thing is I'm not going to have to drive cross country," Tim Maymon said. "I'm looking forward to Jeronne prospering in his education as well as his basketball career."

Stock rose after state

Jeronne Maymon said his only offers had been from Baylor and UW-Green Bay before interest heated up after he earned Most Valuable Player honors at the WIAA state boys basketball tournament. He was also named the Associated Press State Player of the Year.

Maymon's performance on the AAU circuit this spring, though, created an almost circus-like atmosphere, according to his mother, LaTanya. She acknowledged that the only concern was whether her son, who has a 2.2 grade-point-average, can cut it in the classroom.

Maymon, who plans to study psychology in college, said he has a ways to go to become satisfied with his progress academically. But both Maymon and his mother agreed there is no concern on whether he will qualify academically to play as a freshman.

"My son is tough. He's proven he can handle the pressure on the court and he can handle it in school, too," LaTanya Maymon said. "As long as he focuses on what is important, he focuses on his school work, he will be eligible to play."

Maymon averaged 21.0 points and 11.7 rebounds overall as a junior in leading Memorial to a fifth straight Big Eight Conference title and berth in the WIAA Division 1 state tournament.

But he was particularly impressive during a three-game span at the state tournament where he averaged 30 points, 14.6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4.7 blocks and 3.7 steals per game for the Division 1 state runner-up Spartans.

Add in his performances this spring playing around the country against the nation's elite players and Maymon became one of the nation's top recruits.

"I'm just happy for Jeronne and the family," said Hennssy Auriantal, a former Wisconsin player who serves as an advisor and skills coach for the Maymon family. "I will continue to help him in terms of academics and skill work.

"Like I tell a lot of kids, a basketball costs you $30. But that $30 is going to take you around the world. I think he's doing the right thing."

Auriantal said the Marquette coaches saw something special in Maymon that a lot of other schools did, too.

"Jeronne has the ability to just play. His demeanor on the court is what makes him different. It doesn't matter where you give him the ball. He just has a way to play," Auriantal said. "The feel for the game and the knack for the ball, you just can't teach that. He has it."

Still has work to do

Maymon will begin his senior season ranked second on Memorial's career scoring list (1,190) behind Matthews (1,322) and second on the Spartans' career rebounding list (552) behind current UW player Keaton Nankivil (581).

His goal of winning a state championship along with teammate Vander Blue, who committed last month to attend Wisconsin to play basketball in 2010, hasn't changed.

"I always wanted to be better than any player who came from Memorial," Maymon said. "During the season, it's my job to keep the winning going. We had our conference streak snapped because I didn't play that one game. I watched how Wesley took over games. He was a major leader, which is what I'm trying to do."

Dennis Semrau  —  5/28/2008 8:59 am