Despite bad bounces, Waiters a Philly court star

He gets plenty of credit from the people who do the national rankings. Just listen to Dave Telep, Scout.com's national basketball recruiting analyst.

"Dion is one of those guys that at the end of the day, he's got a blueprint on how to score," Telep said. "And he has a powerful body."

ESPNU lists him as the nation's 14th-best recruit in the Class of 2010. Scout.com (18) and Rivals.com (28) both have him in the top 30. He will be ranked around 24th in the Bob Gibbons Top 150 Seniors list when it is released later this summer.

"He has a tight, crafty handle and subtle burst of speed," said Norm Eavenson, a recruiting analyst for Bob Gibbons All Star Sports. "His frame [allows him] to drive the lane, draw contact, and finish or dish off."

Despite his national reputation on the court, Waiters still has a stigma off it.

"I'm sick and tired of hearing stuff about him being a bad person," said Jardine, who had been linked to a stolen Syracuse campus indentification card in 2008. "He has never been a bad person. If he was a bad person, I wouldn't have him around.

"The stuff I went through, I try to show him the mistakes that I made. He can see that and learn from it, so he doesn't make the same mistake.

"He just gets a bad rap, because we are from South Philly. Give him some type of credit."