Jeronne Maymon has seemingly grown into a man among boys over the last three prep basketball seasons, but the Madison Memorial junior still had to convince one party that his emotional maturity was on par with his physical growth.

That came Tuesday from his mother following his much-anticipated announcement he will attend Marquette University in the fall of 2009 and play for new coach Buzz Williams. Maymon said he made his decision less than two hours before his 8 a.m. announcement at the Genesis Enterprise Center after going to bed Monday evening still torn between Marquette and Southern California.

"I just learned that my son is tough and he can take the pressure," Latonya Maymon said of Jeronne, who turned 17 on March 6. "I learned how much of a man he is. I'm proud to know he can decipher through the (recruiting) garbage and make a rational decision."

Indeed, there was a lot of speculation about where the Associated Press state player of the year would play college basketball as interest in the 6-foot-6 Maymon increased significantly after he led Memorial to a WIAA Division 1 state runner-up finish in March.

Maymon's father, Tim, said last week Baylor, Iowa State, Marquette, Tennessee, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Green Bay, Southern California, Temple and Providence were the nine schools his son was considering. Defending NCAA champion Kansas made an offer late last week and joined Marquette, Southern Cal, Baylor and Tennessee in the final five, according to Jeronne Maymon.

"I chose (Marquette) because I like their style of play and I trust the coach," Maymon said. "I think he's going to push me to become a better player and a better person as a whole. ... They guaranteed me a starting spot. But I know I'm going to have to work just as hard to keep my starting spot when I get there. I know other players are going to want to start and want to be in the spotlight."

Maymon, ranked No. 58 nationally among 2009 recruits by Scout.com, enjoyed a breakout junior season at Memorial. He emerged from the shadow of University of Wisconsin freshman Keaton Nanikivil, averaged 21 points and 11.7 rebounds per game and led the team to a 23-3 record and fifth straight state tournament berth under coach Steve Collins.

Over the past two months, however, Maymon's reputation has flourished on the national level with strong showings on the AAU circuit. Scholarship offers began pouring as coaches got a look at the versatile Maymon — he's projected to be a small forward or a shooting guard in college — during tournaments in Texas, Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina.

"Now maybe we can get a little peace," Latonya Maymon said. "It's been way crazy — a nuisance to me. Some people might enjoy all the outside interaction, but I don't. It takes too much away from your day."

But it speaks to what college coaches see in Maymon, a starter since his freshman year.

"His demeanor on the court is what makes him different,'' said Hennssy Auriantal, a former UW player who has served as a family adviser and coached Maymon with the Wisconsin Force AAU program. "Wherever he goes, he drops the same amount of points, same amount of rebounds. He just plays the game of basketball with no fear. ... That's what separates him from a lot of players."

Off the court, Maymon's decision will allow him to focus on the academic challenges in front of him. He said Tuesday he is making progress in that area this semester and will take summer-school classes to continue to boost his grade-point average, which he said in March was just over a 2.0 and which might have kept UW from actively recruiting him.

"He has to make sure he focuses on his homework, hands in assignments, stays on top of his work with the teachers and prepare himself for the SAT test," Auriantal said. "His gap of chances is real (small). Every day counts for him now."

Now that Maymon has his basketball future mapped out, his mother — and others —will make sure his academics don't keep him from getting there.

"He could fall and hurt himself and be out of the running as a basketball player," Latanya Maymon said. "Then what are you going to be? A big, dumb jock? I refuse to have a big, dumb jock; I want him to have more substance than (that)."