"My rule was I wouldn't recruit a kid if he had grass in front of his house.
That's not my world. My world was a cracked sidewalk." —Al McGuire

Friday, September 26, 2014

Gardner signs in France after one of greatest Value Add runs at MU

Davante Gardner, who was the 55th best Value Add player in the country his junior season and still in the top 4% of all players his senior season, has signed a pro contract in France.

Gardner's sophomore year was the 32nd best of any Marquette player. Only four Marquette players matched three years at that level - Travis Diener, Lazar Hayward, Dominic James (now Dominic Wright) and Wesley Matthews.

Dwyane Wade's 2003 was the best of any player, when he had the 7th best season in the 12-year history of the Value Add database. Travis Diener had three of Marquette's top 10 seasons, and Jimmy Butler had two of Marquette's top 10 seasons.

I first saw Davante Gardner when I flew to Marquette for the Notre Dame game which he took as his visit from my native Virginia, and loved his play for all four years - believing he became easily Marquette's best player. We wish him and Jamil Wilson, who is fighting to become Marquette's 37th NBA player, the best of luck.

Below are the players with the top 50 Value Add seasons for Marquette, with notes on their pro careers after Marquette. Dwight Buycks' best season was actually the 56th best, but we include him as an honorable mention since he played in the NBA last year.


Top 50 MU SeasonsPlayerValue AddYearPro career after Marquette?
19Acker, Maurice5.082010France is 6th pro country
38Barro, Ousmane3.342007
39Barro, Ousmane2.952008Romania is 6th pro country
26Blue, Vander4.0220133 NBA Games with Celtics
45Blue, Vander2.642012
5Butler, Jimmy7.79201087 NBA Starts with Bulls
9Butler, Jimmy6.372011
42Butler, Jimmy2.812009
HM (56)Buycks, Dwight1.73201114 NBA games with raptors
37Cadougan, Junior3.362013Canadian National Team
49Cadougan, Junior2.462012
31Chapman, Joe3.72006Japan
2Crowder, Jae11.12201224 NBA starts, 156 games for Mavs
12Crowder, Jae5.832011
36Cubillan, David3.442007Brief Israel contracts
40Cubillan, David2.942010
47Cubillan, David2.52008
3Diener, Travis9.31200421 NBA Starts with Pacers, 179 games
4Diener, Travis8.922005
7Diener, Travis6.532003
43Fitzgerald, Dan2.762007Spanish team is 8th pro team
11Gardner, Davante6.132013France - just signed
22Gardner, Davante4.752014
32Gardner, Davante3.542012
8Hayward, Lazar6.49201072 NBA games with Wolves and Thunder
15Hayward, Lazar5.522009
20Hayward, Lazar4.92008
21Jackson, Robert4.772003None known
13James, Dominic5.692006French career ended in 2013, name now Dominic Wright
17James, Dominic5.332008
24James, Dominic4.282007
30James, Dominic3.722009
18Johnson-Odom, Darius5.2620127 NBA games for Lakers, 76ers
35Johnson-Odom, Darius3.462011
46Johnson-Odom, Darius2.562010
50Lockett, Trent2.362013Top German League, D-League Select
10Matthews, Wesley6.192009321 NBA starts Jazz and Blazers, 14.0 ppg
27Matthews, Wesley3.922007
28Matthews, Wesley3.842008
14McNeal, Jerel5.662009Spanish team is 7th pro team
16McNeal, Jerel5.412008
33McNeal, Jerel3.52007
48McNeal, Jerel2.472006
29Merritt, Scott3.732003Japan
6Novak, Steve7.462006414 NBA games, 2085 points
23Novak, Steve4.652005
34Novak, Steve3.492004
41Novak, Steve2.852003
1Wade, Dwyane11.42003710 NBA Starts, 24.3 ppg, 6.0 ast, 5.0 reb, 1.8 stl, 1.0 blk
25Wilson, Jamil4.22013signs with Suns, trying to make team
44Wilson, Jamil2.732012

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