Northwestern Basketball Recruiting: The Top Prospects
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The Northwestern Wildcats have been on a roll lately, and their recruiting is only getting better. Get to know the top prospects that have caught the eye of the Northwestern Coaching Staff
Northwestern Basketball The Top Prospects
Northwestern Basketball is on the rise. Thanks in large part to Head Coach Chris Collins the Wildcats have put together three consecutive winning seasons for the first time since the 1960s. They made their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2017 and have won 20 or more games in each of the past two seasons.
Now, Northwestern is looking to take the next step and become a perennial NCAA Tournament team. That will require some good recruiting, and it looks like Collins and his staff are up to the task.
Here are Northwestern’s top 10 basketball recruits for 2019:
1) Trayce Jackson-Davis – A 6’9″ Power Forward from Indianapolis, Jackson-Davis is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 24 player in the country and the No. 4 power forward He’s a McDonald’s All-American and was named Mr. Basketball in Indiana after averaging 27 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks per game as a senior at Center Grove High School
2) Joe Wieskamp – A 6’6″ wing from Muscatine, Iowa, Wieskamp is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 45 player in the country and the No. 8 small forward He was a first-team all-state selection as a junior after averaging 22 points per game while shooting 52 percent from three-point range As a senior, he averaged 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game while leading Muscatine to a state title.
3) Charles Bassey – A 6’11” center from San Antonio Bassey is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 56 player in the country and the No. 11 center. He’s originally from Nigeria but moved to Texas to play high school basketball at Aspire Academy. He averaged 17 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks per game as a senior while leading Aspire to a 33-3 record.
4) Matthew Hurt – A 6’9″ power forward from Rochester, Minnesota, Hurt is ranked by 247Sports as the No 111 player in the country and the No 22 power forward He averaged 29 points per game as a junior while leading his high school team to a state title before seeing his scoring average dip to 23 points per game as a senior due in large part to increased attention from opposing defenses. Still, he finished his high school career with 2,656 points — good for fourth all-time in Minnesota history behind only Kris Humphries Kevin McHale and Eliason Kabellis (and ahead of fellow Northwestern recruit Verdell Jones III).
5) Prentiss Hubb – A 6’3″ point guard from Washington, D C., Hubb is ranked by 247Sports as 143rd player in country 34th point guard Hubb played his first three years of high school basketball at Gonzaga College high school before transferring to O’Connell for his senior year He averaged 23 5 points seven assists four rebounds game en route to being named Washington Post’s All Met Player of Year runner up for Naismith Player of Year AwardGiven that hubb plans study pre med medicine it’s possible that he redshirts next season which would give him five years to play four But even if he doesn’t redshirt he should be able provide immediate help Northwestern’s backcourt rotation
6 ) David Duke – A 6’4″ shooting guard from Providence Rhode Island Duke is ranked by 247Sports as 159th player in country 37th shooting guard Duke played his first two years of high school basketball at Classical before transferring Cushing Academy His junior year he averaged 16 7 points six rebounds five assists three steals per game en route to being named NEPSAC Class AAA Player of Year As senior he upped his numbers 20 9 points eight rebounds six assists four steals helping Cushing win NEPSAC championship While duke needs work on defense he has chance be immediate contributor on offense
7) Isaiah Stewart – A 6’9″ center from Rochester New York Stewart is ranked by 247Sports as 192nd player country 26th center Stewart played one year of High School basketball at La Lumiere School in La Porte Indiana before transferring McQuaid Jesuit His only season at McQuaid he helped lead team state semifinals averaging 15 5 points ten rebounds three blocks per game While Stewart hasn’t been recruited quite aggressively some other top prospects it seems likely that will change if he has big freshman year
8) Patrick Tape – A 6’10” center from New York New York Tape is ranked by 247Sports as 208th player country 30th center Tape played his first three years of high school ball Half Hollow Hills West before transferring st Thomas More School for final season there As junior he averaged 15 2 points nine rebounds two blocks per game But it was summer after junior year when Tape really started turn heads With improved conditioning
The Northwestern Way
Northwestern University’s Basketball Program is undergoing a resurgence. In the 2015-16 season, the Wildcats won a school-record 23 games and made their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2011. Thanks to head coach Chris Collins and his staff, Northwestern has become a destination for top high school basketball prospects.
The “Northwestern Way” is a term that is often used to describe the team’s style of play. The Wildcats are known for their disciplined approach on both ends of the court. They are not a flashy team, but they get the job done with hard work and hustle.
The following prospects are currently being recruited by Northwestern:
1. Mo Bamba, C, Harlem, New York
2. Jaren Jackson Jr., PF, Carmel, Indiana
3. Tyler Herro SG, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
4. Romeo Langford, SG, New Albany, Indiana
5. Quentin Grimes SG, The Woodlands, Texas
Developing Talent
Basketball Recruiting is an inexact science. Players are often evaluated on their potential rather than their actual production. It’s not uncommon for a player to be ranked higher as a freshman than he was as a senior. The key is finding players with the potential to develop into top-Level Prospects
In recent years Northwestern has done a good job of finding and developing talent. Players such as Dererk Pardon, Vic Law and Scottie Lindsey weren’t highly regarded when they arrived in Evanston, but they developed into impact players and helped lead Northwestern to its first ever NCAA tournament appearance.
As the Wildcats look to build on that success, here are some of the top prospects they’re targeting in the 2019 recruiting class
A Legacy of Success
Northwestern basketball has a long and storied tradition of success. The Wildcats have reached the NCAA tournament 31 times in their history, including 13 times in the last 20 years. They have also won 14 conference championships most recently in 2017. Northwestern is one of only a handful of programs to have made the NCAA Tournament each of the last four years.
This success has been built on a foundation of strong recruiting. In recent years Northwestern has landed some of the top prospects in the country, including current stars Scottie Lindsey and Dererk Pardon. This year, the Wildcats are once again in the running for some of the best recruits in the country. Here are some of the top prospects on Northwestern’s radar:
guard Collin Sexton Sexton is a five-star recruit and one of the top point guards in the country. He’s considering Northwestern, Alabama, and Georgia Tech among others.
wing Brian Bowen Bowen is a five-star recruit and one of the top small forwards in the country. He’s considering Northwestern, Louisville, Indiana, and Michigan State among others.
center Nazreon Reid. Reid is a five-star recruit and one of the top centers in the country. He’s considering Northwestern, LSU, UCLA, and Baylor among others
The Northwestern Brand
Northwestern has long been considered a top academic institution, but in recent years the school has also made a name for itself in athletics. The Northwestern basketball team has seen success in recent years, making it to the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and 2018. This has helped the school attract some top recruits Here are some of the top prospects the Wildcats are currently pursuing.
A Pipeline of Success
Northwestern basketball has long been an also-ran in the Big Ten but that may be changing. Thanks to a new recruiting pipeline, the Wildcats are starting to attract some of the top prospects in the country.
Head coach Chris Collins has made Northwestern a destination for top recruits and the results are starting to show on the court. In the last two seasons, the Wildcats have won a total of nine conference games, more than they had in the previous four seasons combined.
The recruiting pipeline starts with Collins himself, who was a highly touted recruit when he came to Northwestern from Duke in 2013. Collins has made it a priority to recruit talented players who fit his system and can make an immediate impact.
That focus has paid off with some strong commitments from players like guard Anthony Gaines and forward Aaron Falzon. Gaines was ranked as the No. 4 player in Illinois by ESPN, while Falzon was rated as a four-star prospect by 247Sports.
The fruits of Collins’s labor are also evident in Northwestern’s Recruiting Class for 2019, which is currently ranked 14th in the nation by 247Sports. That class includes five-star center Ryan Younger and four-star guard Chase Audige, both of whom chose Northwestern over offers from several blue-blood programs.
With a deep pool of talent to choose from, Northwestern is poised to make noise in the Big Ten for years to come. Thanks to Collins’s efforts on the recruiting trail the Wildcats are finally building a team that can compete with the best in the conference.
The Future of Northwestern Basketball
Northwestern basketball is on the rise. After years of struggling, the team has finally begun to turn things around. They have made it to the NCAA tournament in back-to-back years and are now a team that other schools are beginning to take notice of. With this newfound success, comes better players and more interest from top recruits Here is a list of some of the top recruits that Northwestern is currently pursuing.
The Power of the Northwestern Network
In basketball, as in business, it’s all about who you know.
And when it comes to Northwestern basketball, nobody knows more people than Mike Marshall.
Marshall is the Wildcats’ director of player personnel and his job is to cultivate relationships with the nation’s top high school basketball players and their families. He’s the one who convinced five-star recruit Charlie Scott to come to Evanston, even though Scott had never even heard of Northwestern before Marshall reached out to him.
“It was definitely a risk,” Scott said of his decision to attend Northwestern. “But it was a risk that I was willing to take because of the relationships that I built with the coaching staff and with Mike Marshall.”
Those relationships are key for a Northwestern team that doesn’t have the same brand recognition as some of its Big Ten rivals. The Wildcats don’t have the same history or tradition as Michigan or Indiana, and they don’t have the same recruiting budget as Ohio State or Purdue.
But what Northwestern does have is a vast network of alumni and supporters who are willing to help the Basketball Program in any way they can. When Scott took his official visit to Northwestern, he stayed at the home of former Wildcat Willie Theismann. When he had questions about what it would be like to play in the Big Ten he reached out to former Northwestern star John Shurna. And when he needed someone to talk to about the decision he was facing, he called Marshall.
“I just felt like I could trust him,” Scott said of Marshall. “I felt like he had my best interests at heart.”
The Impact of Northwestern Basketball
Northwestern has been a perennial powerhouse in basketball, and they have shown no signs of slowing down. Their recruiting class is consistently ranked in the top 25, and they have landed some of the biggest names in the sport. But what does this mean for the future of Northwestern basketball?
The answer is simple: more success. With a top-ranked recruiting class Northwestern is poised to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament They have the talent and the experience to make a serious push for the title. And with a core group of players that has been together for several years, they have the chemistry to make a run at the championship.
In short, Northwestern basketball is on the rise, and their recruiting class is a big reason why. The future is bright for Northwestern basketball, and their recruits are a big part of that future.
The Northwestern Difference
In recent years, Northwestern has made a big splash on the recruiting trail, landing Top Prospects from all over the country. What is it about Northwestern that has made it such a desirable destination for high-level recruits?
There are a few factors that have contributed to Northwestern’s success in recruiting. First and foremost, Northwestern offers a unique combination of academic and athletic excellence. Unlike many other schools, Northwestern provides its athletes with a world-class education at one of the nation’s top universities. This blend of academics and athletics is very appealing to recruits who are looking for both an excellent education and the chance to compete at the highest level of college hoops.
In addition, Northwestern has shown a strong commitment to building a Ning Basketball program. In recent years, the school has made significant investments in its basketball facilities and Coaching Staff sending a clear message to recruits that it is serious about winning. These investments have paid off, as Northwestern has enjoyed unprecedented success on the court in recent years, making back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and winning its first-ever NCAA tournament game in 2017.
With its combination of academic excellence, commitment to winning, and top-notch facilities and coaching staff it’s no wonder that Northwestern has become such a desirable destination for high-level recruits.