But that hasn’t stopped the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Blue from delcaring for the NBA Draft.

“I’ve had three great years here and appreciate everything Marquette has done for me during that time to help me develop,” Blue said. “At this point I want to pursue my dream. I’ve prayed about it and discussed it with my family and think this is the right decision for me at this time.

“I really want to thank all of the coaches and staff at Marquette for helping me become a better player and a man,” Blue added. “I also loved and appreciate the support shown by Marquette fans across the country during my career, especially during home games at the Bradley Center.”

The Madison, Wis., native concluded the year ranked 14th in the Big East in scoring (14.8 points.) and  shot 45.4 percent from the floor overall and 75.6 percent from the charity stripe.

“As a program, we are all very thankful for everything Vander has done to help our team over the last three years, but more importantly I admire the growth he has made off the floor as a person,” head coach Buzz Williams said. “He has had success in each role that he has played every year he has been here, and has continued to improve. We will always be grateful for his contributions and wish him nothing but the best in his professional career.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Buzz Williams is on the brink of joining some elite company.

The 40-year old Greenville, Tex., native is one win away from joining some legends of the profession who have all been to a Final Four.

A mere 26 hours before he has to go through one of those legends of his profession in Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim, Williams knows that he and his Texas-sized shtick shouldn’t be here, mentioned with names like Boeheim, Rick Pitino, John Thompson Jr. and Jim Calhoun.

All four have been to at least one Final Four, all four have won a national title. Williams is one game from the former and three games from the latter, yet is self-aware to the point that be believes his name and those names do not mix.

“My name doesn’t belong up there,” Williams said. “I don’t view myself in that regard. I don’t have the wins or the introspective of who I am. That’s not why I do this. Obviously, I’m humble to be in this position, but I’m not doing it for the outcome, I’m doing it for the lives that are changed because of the experience.”

Williams is correct. At 136-70 in six seasons as a head coach, he doesn’t have the wins or the experience to be in the same category as those four heavyweight coaches, but a spot in the Final Four will propel him into a group that most coaches can only dream of.

Better still, even if Williams doesn’t belong with those names, he has taken Marquette to a place that only one other Golden Eagles team, the Dwyane Wade-led squad in 2003, has been since the national championship season of 1977. One game away from a Final Four.

“Maybe at some point in my career, maybe I’ll think like that, but I struggle with enjoying and being absorbed in the moment in that regard,” Williams said. “I never look at things that way and only because if you look at my path to this point, there’s no possible way you could say that I would have gotten to this point, much less get to the point that you’re talking about.”

It seemed far-fetched less than a decade ago that Williams would ascend to this point. After one unremarkable year as the head coach at the University of New Orleans, he took an assistant position under Tom Crean at Marquette for the 2007-08 season. Crean left for Indiana after that season and Williams, despite that unsightly 14-17 mark at UNO a year earlier, was named Crean’s successor.

Since then, it’s been 20-win seasons, perennial contention in the Big East, Sweet 16 appearances and now, a spot in the Elite Eight.

The Golden Eagles have advanced to the Sweet 16 each of the last three seasons, but is just now getting over the hump and into the Elite Eight thanks to a 71-61 win over No. 2 and ACC champion Miami on Friday evening. His teams have won 14 games each of the past two seasons in the always-rugged Big East, whose regular season title the Golden Eagles captured for the first time this season.

It’s also important to note Williams is making this happen with players that, while certainly capable and Big East-caliber, were not as highly-regarded as others coming out of high school. Williams boasts what appears to be zero NBA prospects at the moment and zero High School All-Americans.

“Well, he’s a tremendous basketball coach, he’s done a tremendous job,” Boeheim said. “They have a very good team.  You’re talking about ‑‑ I just look at the players on the team, I don’t look at the hype.  They have very good players.  They’re very good defensively.  They can score inside, they can score outside.  They handle the ball, they don’t make mistakes.  They’re a tremendous defensive team.”

“That’s what you look at as a coach, you don’t look at how many High School All‑Americans they had, whatever, half of the High School All‑Americans aren’t any good,” Boeheim continued. “People don’t realize that, but half of those never play well in college, let alone past that.  So that’s nonsense, it’s how good are their players.  Their players are very good and he’s done a tremendous job with those players.”

And with one more win, he’ll join some elite company.

Photo: Associated Press 

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NEW YORK — Saturday was quite a day for Steve Novak and his alma mater at Madison Square Garden.

Hours after coach Buzz Williams and Marquette stunned St. John’s, 69-67, in overtime on an acrobatic, last-second driving layup by Vander Blue, Novak scored a season-high 20 points to help the Knicks crush the Utah Jazz, 113-84.

“It’s been a good day in the Garden, hasn’t it?” Novak said with a smile. “The Marquette boys got a share of the Big East title. I’m so proud of them, they’ve been playing unbelievable…It was good to see those guys get the win.”

The last time Marquette won a share of the Big East title? Novak’s senior season in 2005-06, Marquette’s first year in the Big East.

(For Video Highlights of the Marquette-St. John’s game, see below.)

Following the Marquette win, Novak and the Knicks (38-22) learned that Amar’e Stoudemire would miss six weeks with a right knee procedure. The NBA playoffs begin six weeks from today, April 20.

But even without Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony (day-to-day with a stiff knee), the team moved and shared the ball well en route to their third win in four nights before they head out on a five-game West Coast swing.

Novak went 7-of-12 from the field, showing some athleticism by putting the ball on the floor and taking it to the basket, as well going 5-of-10 from the arc.

J.R. Smith added 24 points, hitting 4-of-8 from deep.

Without Stoudemire and Anthony, there was more room for Novak and Smith to work on the perimeter.

“I know my game pretty well at this point,” Novak said. “I know that shooting the ball is my role, is what I’m supposed to do. I think tonight because there were more touches and there was more open room to do those kinds of things, that did open up.”

Novak said the team was able to “rally” despite the bad news about Stoudemire.

“More than anything you feel for Amar’e because he’s worked so hard to get back and he’s playing great,” Novak said. “But then I think you kind of rally together and you say, ‘Look, it’s time to go out there,’ which is what we get paid to do. We gotta go play and win at home.”

While Marquette will be the No. 3 seed at the last Big East Tournament featuring Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Louisville, the Knicks will head out on a five-game West Coast swing beginning Monday night at Golden State.

Knicks coach Mike Woodson said he’d be happy going at least 3-2 on the trip.

“If we come back over .500 I’m happy,” Woodson said. “A successful road trip. We win them all, then I’m really happy so we’ll see what happens.”

Said Novak: “We’ve talked a lot about this trip leading up. We’ve known it’s coming. This whole month is not very gentle, so we know we gotta go out there and play well.

“Obviously, things have changed now that Amar’e's out as well. Hopefully, we’ll get Melo back soon but we’ll be focused going into it, so it’s the end of the year stretch and these games are important.”

**For Video, Notes and Quotes from NBA.com, click here.

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Coach Buzz Williams announced Monday that Mayo is unable to practice or play indefinitely.

“Todd understands success in our program requires a sincere commitment to excellence on and off the floor. I’m extremely disappointed he’s put himself in this position, but he has the full support of our program as he works to improve,” said Williams.

The 6-foot-3 native of Huntington, W.Va., appeared in 35 games for the Golden Eagles as a freshman, averaging 7.9 points and 2.7 rebounds. Marquette finished 27-8 last season, losing to Florida in the West Regional semifinals.

The Golden Eagles open the season Friday against No. 4 Ohio State in the Carrier Classic at Charleston, S.C.

Mayo is the younger brother of Dallas Mavericks guard O.J. Mayo.

(The AP contributed reporting)

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JaJuan Johnson, a 6-foot-5, 188-pound shooting guard from Memphis Southwind, verbally pledged to Marquette on Friday.

Johnson chose coach Buzz Williams’s club over Alabama and Miami.

“He liked the intensity and the strength of their program,” Shaun Williams, JaJuan’s mother, told SNY.tv Friday. “With back-to-back Sweet 16s, [he feels they have] the ability and the urge to make the Final Four instead of just making it to the [NCAA] tournament.”

Johnson is a prolific scorer and Shaun said that’s what her son will deliver to the Big East program.

“I believe what he can bring to them is additional scoring to help them make that next level to a Final Four,” she said. “His ability to score will help them make that jump to the next level.”

The Rivals No. 20 shooting guard in the Class of 2013, Johnson visited Marquette for Midnight Madness in mid-October and enjoyed the visit

“It went good,” he said after the visit. “They showed me around. They told me what position I was going to play and what I could bring to the team.”

Johnson hit Midnight Madness with 2013 Marquette commits Deonte Burton, Duane Wilson and Jameel McKay and said they were all in his ear about committing.

“They was telling me that they would have a top 5 recruiting class if I went there,” Johnson said. “The whole time they were trying to get me to come down there [and commit].”

And now he has.

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Johnson may or may not visit UConn next, and also holds offers from Alabama and Miami.

“It went good,” Johnson, the Rivals No. 20 shooting guard in the Class of 2013, told SNY.tv of his visit to Marquette for Midnight Madness. “They showed me around. They told me what position I was going to play and what I could bring to the team.”

Johnson hit Midnight Madness with 2013 Marquette commits Deonte Burton, Duane Wilson and Jameel McKay and said they were all in his ear about committing.

“They was teling me that they would have a top 5 recruiting class if I went there,” Johnson said. “The whole time they were trying to get me to come down there [and commit].”

Johnson said he’s unsure if he will visit UConn this coming weekend.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I was thinking about UConn but I don’t know if I’m going to take it.

“With them having a new coach and new players coming in, I don’t know what players they got coming in so it would be hard for me to make a decision to go there.”

He said he will soon decide whether to visit.

‘I don’t know,” he said. “Probably by the end of the week I will decide if I take it or not.”

Alabama and Miami remain under strong consideration.

“Alabama, it was cool,” he said. “It isn’t that far my house, like three hours from my house. The coaching staff was real cool. I believe I can be an impact player  if I go there.”

As for Miami, Johnson said:  ”They got six players leaving. I know I’ll be able to play there. I can be a main scorer if I go there.”

Johnson plans to huddle with his mother, Shaun Johnson, and weigh the pros and cons of each school.

“Me and my mom gotta do the pros and cons of each school and by the time I do that,” he said, “I’ll be ready to commit.”

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“The Texas staff and I decided that it was best thing for me and the program,” the 6-foot-5 Johnson told ESPN.com.

“It was mutual, kind of a mutual thing,” Southwind coach Paul Edwards told SNY.tv.

Johnson has visited Miami (Sept. 15) and Alabama (Sept. 29) and heads to Marquette this coming weekend.

“Once we have our visit this wekend we’ll sit down as a family,” Shaun Williams, Johnson’s mother, told SNY.tv. “We’ll see which option is best.”

Williams said she expects her son to make a decision relatively soon.

“We hope to have it done within the next two weeks,” she said.

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NEW YORK

The Marquette coach says his team may have no “great” players like the aforementioned duo currently in the NBA, but does have a whole lot of “good” ones.

“Those guys that are returning are going to have to be more than they’ve ever been in their career,” Williams, whose team is ranked No. 15 in the Sheridan Hoops Preseason Top 25, said here last week.

Once of those guys is senior point guard Junior Cadougan, a 6-foot-1 native of Toronto.

One year after Cadougan averaged 6.3 points and 5.4 assists, Williams is expecting even bigger things from his floor general.

“I’ve always thought Junior was the key to our team,” Williams said. “I’m partial to him. He and I are extremely close.

“When you look at our team, the two years that Junior has played we’ve been to the Sweet 16. There have been some ups and down in both of those years. We’re 14-4 last year in the Big East; we win every home game. When we lose it’s a lot of times when Junior is not facilitating offensively the way we want him to do it.”

WILLIAMS LIKES LOUISVILLE

Like many coaches, Williams also likes Louisville as the preseason favorite to win the Big East.

The Cardinals are ranked No. 1 in the Sheridan Hoops Preseason Top 25.

“Yeah, I would think so,” he said. “Obviously Coach [Rick] Pitino is a Hall of Fame coach. He’ll be in the Hall of Fame before his career’s over. Just like Coach [Jim] Calhoun, just like [Jim] Boeheim. He’ll be in the Hall of Fame while he’s still active.

“I guess they return everybody and they’ve added some really good pieces. [Wayne] Blackshear will be healthy. And then the kid that signed with Virginia Tech [Montrezl Harrell] plays with a really high motor. And the kid from George Mason [Luke Hancock].”

LIKES MEMPHIS AND TEMPLE

Williams said he will be sad to see Notre Dame go, in part because he’s a big Mike Brey guy.

“I hate to see Notre Dame go,” he said. “This will be my fifth year in the league  and my fifth time voting for Coach Brey for Coach of the Year. I just vote for Coach Brey every year. I think he’s a great representation of what coaches are supposed to be about.”

Still, he likes the additions of Memphis and Temple, as well as SMU, UCF and Houston beginning in 2013.

“I think Memphis and Temple are both really, really good,” he said. “Because I’m from the South I think those teams from the South are really good.”

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The school said Monarch gave team-issued apparel and provided transportation to an unnamed recruit, then was “found to have been untruthful with department administrators on multiple occasions” after the violations were discovered.

“When I was allowed to review the report earlier this week, I was deeply saddened to learn of an error in judgment of one of my assistants and closest friends,” Williams said in a statement. “I take personal responsibility for what happens in this program and realize we must be role models to both our team and the entire university. Our commitment has always been and will always be to operate this program at the highest level of integrity in the Marquette and Jesuit tradition.”

Marquette director of athletics Larry Williams said in an interview with The Associated Press that there are no indications that Buzz Williams was aware of the violations. The one-game suspension comes in recognition of Buzz Williams’ “duty to monitor the compliance of his staff,” the school said.

Larry Williams hopes the self-imposed sanctions will show that Marquette takes the issues seriously.

“Our intent here is to build a national championship-caliber program, and we don’t want to put it at risk for something as controllable and as fundamental as integrity,” Larry Williams told the AP. “We’re confident that this is one of the building blocks toward that pursuit of a national championship-caliber team.”

Buzz Williams is expected to sit out the first Big East game of the Golden Eagles’ upcoming season.

As part of the self-imposed sanctions, the school also will voluntarily reduce its number of official recruit visits. Monarch has been suspended since mid-June, and Marquette considers not having him available for recruiting trips during that period to be part of its self-imposed sanctions. Buzz Williams can hire a replacement for Monarch.

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But Marquette came first.

The 6-foot-2 Chicago Simeon shooting guard told SNY.tv he was also contacted by Memphis, Oklahoma State, UCLA, Texas A&M and Florida, and he said North Carolina reached out to his father.

Providence, DePaul and Illinois are also involved and Melvin Nunn, Kendrick’s father, told ESPNChicago.com his son may trim his list to 3-5 in July.

“I haven’t really made a list yet,” Kendrick, ranked No. 7 among 2013 shooting guards by Rivals, said by phone from the USA 17 practices in Colorado Springs, Colo. “I’m not trying to worry about it right now.”

Marquette appears to be in strong shape with Nunn, who’s visited both there and DePaul unofficially.

“Marquette is definitely in there,” Melvin told ESPNChicago. “Everything Marquette has – their players, they succeed, you’re talking about players, you’re talking about a relationship already there. They’re already in a position to get to that Elite Eight, the Final Four. That recruiting class they got coming in already, it’s already up there for 2013. We’re really, really considering Marquette in that top three (schools.)”

DePaul is in the mix, but Melvin pointed out that that program is not the proven winner that Marquette is.

“You can say DePaul can become a Marquette,” Melvin told ESPNChicago. “You talk about Marquette being in the top 15, top 20 in the last 3-4 years. I don’t see them moving out of that any time real soon with the players they already got and the players they already have committed from 2013.

“You really look they’re already in that position, and you’re not even there. It’s someone you should be considering if you want to be in that position when you’re a freshman in college. It’s the same thing when we chose Simeon. Do you want to go to a second-tier school or go to a school to help them continue to go on top? That’s what we’re looking at when picking a school.

“Do you want to have to be the person who has to turn it around? Do you want that pressure?”

Both Illinois and DePaul are recruiting Nunn and his Simeon teammate Jabari Parker, who lists 14 schools and told SNY.tv he plans to decide in November.

Kendrick said he’s been in touch with Illinois and new coach John Groce “a lot.”

“We have a good relationship with Coach Groce,” Kendrick said. “It’s a good school and I’ve been contacting them a lot.”

Still, his father seemed to express some concerns about whether Groce could turn it around that quickly.

“It’s something you have to think hard about, especially when you have a choice,” Melvin told ESPNChicago. “I think Groce can get it done. If we decided not to go to Illinois, it’s not because we don’t like Illinois, we don’t like Groce. I just don’t know when they can get it done and with who. It’s going to take some 2013 players, some 2014, some 2015.

“We’re talking about three years after he started there. He’s used to winning now.”

As for right now, Nunn is focused on winning another gold medal with USA Basketball.

He helped the USA U16 team win gold last year, and now he’s among 14 finalists for the U17 team that will compete in the FIBA U17 World Championship in Lithuania.

Parker and 2014 Whitney Young big man Jahlil Okafor are also among the finalists, and Nunn is looking forward to trying to win it all with this friends from Chicago.

“It definitely helps the chemistry oncourt and off the court being with all our friends,” Nunn said. “And pretty much everybody on the team is friends.”

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