4-STAR BIG MAN BARRET BENSON COMMITS TO NU
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Un-believe-able! It just keeps getting better and better for NU. This staff is amazing. It is going to be such an incredible feeling to see NU on my tourney bracket in the next year or so...wow!
Four-star center Barret Benson, the No. 108 recruit in the nation, committed to Northwestern on Monday night.
The quickie story: Cats land 4-star big man
This is a great day for NU and a great decision for Barret Benson. He will fit in perfectly with the great athletes on the squad. Congrats to Coach Collins and his excellent staff and the players in making Benson feel comfortable and realize NU will be making history soon. This team is being built for sustained success! 4 four star players and 6 three stars players who are on the upswing in just over two full years of recruiting.
That is definitely significant. A major upgrade over the likes of Turner or Ajou...
Does it make you feel better to belittle prior players as you acknowledge the significance of the commit? Sheesh.
Sorry...didn't intend to belittle anyone. Just reinforcing the significance of these commits we're getting and the remarkable recruiting turnaround Collins has done here. And it is certainly remarkable!
Remarkable that we could not buy a big man PF or C. Always some excuses about how few of them there are and how much competition and now it seems like second nature getting them and they are becoming the foundation of the team. Same with PG. Getting one every class rather than one every 4 years. Is painter still on the list or are we now focused on getting a 2/3 to fill out the class?
Wow, can Collins and his staff recruit or what? To bad NU didn't get CC aboard sooner.
Awesome recruiting momentum for the program and amazing job by the players and staff.
Just watched the 30 for 30 piece on the Fab 5, and it was interesting how important Juwaan Howard was to pulling that whole class together. With the personalities of Law, Ash, bMac and others, I wouldn't be surprised to see this recruiting momentum continue - players recruit players.
And after being reminded how amazing the Fab 5 were back in their day, i'm so excited to watch these young Cats develop the chemistry and confidence under Collins to kick some serious AZZ. Don't be surprised what athleticism, chemistry and playing with a chip on your shoulder with something to prove can do...
1) After what Benson said about Ash, I might say the same thing about Ash that I said about Law last year. If both players never play another minute in an NU uniform, they are worth their scholarships.
2) Maybe its the NU fan in me, but I would have had a hard time imagining more than 15 coaches in the country who could "close" at this level at NU in two classes.
Bring on the games!!
Our last two classes have committed to us over offers from the following schools (repeats left in for emphasis), per rivals offer list:
auburn
boston college
boston college
cincinnati
clemson
creighton
creighton
creighton
dayton
depaul
georgia
harvard
harvard
illinois
iowa
iowa
iowa
iowa
marquette
memphis
missouri
nc state
nevada
notre dame
oregon st
penn st
pittsburgh
providence
purdue
purdue
purdue
rutgers
seton hall
stanford
texas tech
utah st
vanderbilt
vanderbilt
VCU
virginia tech
washington
west virginia
west virginia
xavier
auburn
boston college
boston college
cincinnati
clemson
creighton
creighton
creighton
dayton
depaul
georgia
harvard
harvard
illinois
iowa
iowa
iowa
iowa
marquette
memphis
missouri
nc state
nevada
notre dame
oregon st
penn st
pittsburgh
providence
purdue
purdue
purdue
rutgers
seton hall
stanford
texas tech
utah st
vanderbilt
vanderbilt
VCU
virginia tech
washington
west virginia
west virginia
xavier
Huge get indeed.
Pretty much now for the near term (after this season), every spot is at least 2 deep.
The 5 now being 2.5 deep (figure that Skelly would play the 5 in a pinch).
Had a good feeling considering JHenricksen predicted BB to NU in late June.
Now, while BB is an exciting addition to the program, am going to temper the enthusiasm as the 5 spot is the hardest position to predict as it usually takes longer for centers to develop and get used to playing against those as big, if not bigger than themselves.
The guys over at Inside NU, as expected (and rightfully so) are excited about the commitment (being overly enamored w/ star ratings), but then they go ahead and post something about Pardon being undersized.
OK - maybe Pardon doesn't have the size of a traditional 5, but there have been plenty of good centers under 6-10 playing the position (seem to recall a certain dOSU center who provided heartbreak for NU fans despite only being 6-8).
And Pardon is listed at 6-8 and 230 lbs and is known to have long arms; BB is listed at 6-9 and 240 lbs (JH has him listed at 6-10, but pretty much every other source has BB at 6-9), so if Pardon is undersized, then BB is only slightly less so.
Both seem to have decent athleticism (not like JVZ but better than what the 'Cats typically have had at the position) w/ Pardon maybe having a little more hop and ability to get up and down the court (based on scouting reports).
But who really knows at this juncture? Both might end up being very good players or only one or neither (tho it would be surprising if both ended up being busts and at least not a serviceable B1G center).
Case in point, an Illini poster pointed out that Egwu has had a better collegiate career than all other Top 20-100 recruits at the center position for the class of 2011.
JH has BB as the 6th top prospect in IL for the class of 2016.
6. Barret Benson, 6-10, C, Hinsdale South
The true on-the-block big man has a soft touch, terrific hands and sports several high-major offers. His face-up game has also come a long way in the past six months. While he may lack ideal athleticism or pop off the floor, Benson, who continues to grow into his body and game, is still a long-range big man prospect –– and those types tend to be highly coveted and hard to find.
http://highschoolcubenews.com/2015/06/16/henricksen-look-top-10-class-2016/
Like I had stated, centers usually take longer to develop, so might have to experience some growing pains.
Out of the commits for the class of 2016, among the bigs, Ivanauskas may have more of an immediate impact
1. Rapolas Ivanauskas, 6-8, PF, Barrington
The skilled forward can score in a variety of ways, with an offensive repertoire that’s more advanced than other top prospects in the class. With skilled footwork around the basket and in the lane, to go with a step-back jumper, three-point range and a mid-range jumper, Ivanauskas can get it done in a variety of ways, though it’s all still coming together. Right now he’s far from reaching his ceiling, but the Northwestern commit is only going to get better as he physically matures and adds body strength to a thin, lean frame.
RI seems to be a skinnier version of Falzon (tho not as thin as Law, as RI is listed at 208 lbs and has another year to add weight).
Can see RI getting some minutes at the 4, but can also see CC and crew going w/ a...
Pardon - 5
Falzon - 4
Ivanauskas - 3
Law - 2
BMc - 1
lineup at time which would provide plenty of length and allow the 'Cats to spread the floor and drive to the basket when the opportunity rises.
It'll be interesting to see if CC and crew goes w/ a frontcourt of Falzon, JVZ and Olah at time for the upcoming season and how the 2 would compare.
Anyhow, for both this upcoming season and the next, CC should have more options in terms of varying his lineup according to matchups.
Also, with the added depth, players efficiencies should rise as they can play harder in more limited minutes and won't be so tired towards the end of games (Olah should really benefit from this w/ the addition of JVZ and Pardon).
Pretty much now for the near term (after this season), every spot is at least 2 deep.
The 5 now being 2.5 deep (figure that Skelly would play the 5 in a pinch).
Had a good feeling considering JHenricksen predicted BB to NU in late June.
Now, while BB is an exciting addition to the program, am going to temper the enthusiasm as the 5 spot is the hardest position to predict as it usually takes longer for centers to develop and get used to playing against those as big, if not bigger than themselves.
The guys over at Inside NU, as expected (and rightfully so) are excited about the commitment (being overly enamored w/ star ratings), but then they go ahead and post something about Pardon being undersized.
OK - maybe Pardon doesn't have the size of a traditional 5, but there have been plenty of good centers under 6-10 playing the position (seem to recall a certain dOSU center who provided heartbreak for NU fans despite only being 6-8).
And Pardon is listed at 6-8 and 230 lbs and is known to have long arms; BB is listed at 6-9 and 240 lbs (JH has him listed at 6-10, but pretty much every other source has BB at 6-9), so if Pardon is undersized, then BB is only slightly less so.
Both seem to have decent athleticism (not like JVZ but better than what the 'Cats typically have had at the position) w/ Pardon maybe having a little more hop and ability to get up and down the court (based on scouting reports).
But who really knows at this juncture? Both might end up being very good players or only one or neither (tho it would be surprising if both ended up being busts and at least not a serviceable B1G center).
Case in point, an Illini poster pointed out that Egwu has had a better collegiate career than all other Top 20-100 recruits at the center position for the class of 2011.
JH has BB as the 6th top prospect in IL for the class of 2016.
6. Barret Benson, 6-10, C, Hinsdale South
The true on-the-block big man has a soft touch, terrific hands and sports several high-major offers. His face-up game has also come a long way in the past six months. While he may lack ideal athleticism or pop off the floor, Benson, who continues to grow into his body and game, is still a long-range big man prospect –– and those types tend to be highly coveted and hard to find.
http://highschoolcubenews.com/2015/06/16/henricksen-look-top-10-class-2016/
Like I had stated, centers usually take longer to develop, so might have to experience some growing pains.
Out of the commits for the class of 2016, among the bigs, Ivanauskas may have more of an immediate impact
1. Rapolas Ivanauskas, 6-8, PF, Barrington
The skilled forward can score in a variety of ways, with an offensive repertoire that’s more advanced than other top prospects in the class. With skilled footwork around the basket and in the lane, to go with a step-back jumper, three-point range and a mid-range jumper, Ivanauskas can get it done in a variety of ways, though it’s all still coming together. Right now he’s far from reaching his ceiling, but the Northwestern commit is only going to get better as he physically matures and adds body strength to a thin, lean frame.
RI seems to be a skinnier version of Falzon (tho not as thin as Law, as RI is listed at 208 lbs and has another year to add weight).
Can see RI getting some minutes at the 4, but can also see CC and crew going w/ a...
Pardon - 5
Falzon - 4
Ivanauskas - 3
Law - 2
BMc - 1
lineup at time which would provide plenty of length and allow the 'Cats to spread the floor and drive to the basket when the opportunity rises.
It'll be interesting to see if CC and crew goes w/ a frontcourt of Falzon, JVZ and Olah at time for the upcoming season and how the 2 would compare.
Anyhow, for both this upcoming season and the next, CC should have more options in terms of varying his lineup according to matchups.
Also, with the added depth, players efficiencies should rise as they can play harder in more limited minutes and won't be so tired towards the end of games (Olah should really benefit from this w/ the addition of JVZ and Pardon).
Lots of Illini fans poo pooing NU landing Benson, including board favorite, combes. Stuff like NU was his only committable offer, and Illinois and Purdue had lost interest after a poor spring, etc. On the other hand, some Illinois fans are seeing this as a sign of Groce's progressive failure to land quality recruits.
Let's not count the proverbial egg before they hatch yet, esp. for the 5 spot.
As noted above, Eqwu was a 4*/Top 100 recruit who supposedly had a better career (according to an Illini poster) than other centers in his class who were ranked from 20 to 100.
The 'Cats currently have a center who, while an unheralded recruit, will likely, when it is all said and done be considered to have the better collegiate career.
Yeah, those guys are doing a bang up job helping to recruit other players.
Kinda reminds me of Juice (in being one of the most important recruits) ; w/o Juice, likely would not have gotten other local players like Shurna and Crawford.
W/o those players, the program would not have had its NIT run/consecutive winning seasons/bubble team talk; w/o that, likely would not have gotten CC to come to NU (or if CC had come to NU regardless, it would have been much more difficult to sell recruits that they can win at NU).
Along those lines, the commitment of BB may pay dividends off the court when it comes to the Class of 2017.
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You really can't let it go, can you? Geez......................show a little class.
< 2) Maybe its the NU fan in me, but I would have had a hard time imagining more than 15 coaches in the country who could "close" at this level at NU in two classes. >
Heartiest congratulations to CC and his staff. "Closing" at this level is new business at NU. Of the 15 coaches, I doubt any would want the "opportunity".
Gotta hand it to JP, too, for seeing that CC was up to it.
And welcome to NU, Big Barret Benson!
Momentum and excitement all over this team.
Who's next?
Heartiest congratulations to CC and his staff. "Closing" at this level is new business at NU. Of the 15 coaches, I doubt any would want the "opportunity".
Gotta hand it to JP, too, for seeing that CC was up to it.
And welcome to NU, Big Barret Benson!
Momentum and excitement all over this team.
Who's next?
I've read people tear apart current players waaaaay worse than what I said, NJCat. Lol You WOULDN'T consider it a major upgrade? As I already stated in my previous, I was just piggy-backing off of Walker Fan's assertation about the leaps and bounds Collins has made on the recruiting front, and bringing up those two players is a perfect illustration of that. They would NEVER be on the radar, much less targeted by current staff. Maybe you need to lower the shields a little...it's a fair topic...
I'm probably most excited about Pardon. He has video unlike any I've seen from an NU big. He also did it playing against some of the best competition in the county. I know he's "undersized" but the kid is going to put up some numbers for us.
The reason you should lay off is because it's true. No one thinks an end zone dance is cool when you're up by 35 points.
Fair weather fans (like me) are going to jump on the band wagon now that it looks like all the pieces of the puzzle are going to be in place.
And yet it's acceptable to rip current players far worse (ie Law, Demps) than simply bringing up the names of past recruits. Lol
How in the world would NU's offer be the only one committable out of like 15 of them? Sounds like wishful thinking there.
Every NU recruit with an Illinois offer suddenly sucks when he picks NU. It was the same story with Law. Those posts are pure entertainment value. I think it's better for us long term if the rumors about Illinois and Purdue are true, if they get Benson extra fired up for those four games a season. It's like how Lindsey was particularly motivated to play Iowa last year due to their supposed shenanigans during recruiting.
I've been out of the loop for the past month or so and I come back to see that the 'Cats have landed a new PG and Benson too? Collins and crew are really following through on their goal of getting top local talent to stay home.
Let me be yet another to praise the recruiting prowess of the current regime. The depth NU is acquiring is unprecedented for this program.
Let me be yet another to praise the recruiting prowess of the current regime. The depth NU is acquiring is unprecedented for this program.
Pretty sure the Stanford offer was committable considering he took an official visit there last month.
Coral...I'm aware of his visit to Palo Alto, but according to Rivals, he actually didn't have a Stanford offer. No idea if that's right or not, but just thought I'd point it out. Either way, saying a guy with about 15 offers, including six other B1G schools, has no other "committable offers" (not even sure what that means) is an obviously ridiculous comment.
I have never commented here. But when was the last time NU procured the ultimate and antepenultimate ranked players in Illinois (per 247)? Never. If the successful recruiting of Illinois' best players continues, it is only a matter of time before NU becomes another Big 10 standby in the NCAA tournament.
These are the three best consecutive recruiting classes in the history of NU hoops. Collins and staff are doing a tremendous job, all credit to them for what they have accomplished. Having said that, these recruiting classes are probably average for Big 10 schools. Before we get too carried away, what we have seen is NU moving from the absolute bottom of the Big 10 to probably #7 or 8 in recruiting. Let's not get crazy about NU being a "Big 10 standby (?)" in the NCAAs................
What you say is correct. We have moved from so far below the bottom of the BIG in recruiting to around the middle. Basically most of the BIG is concentrated in that middle with a couple below and a couple above. Only ones we are likely better than in the BIG are PSU, Neb and Minn. We are significantly behind about 4 in MSU, OSU, MD Michigan and we are in the mix with the rest with recruiting sometimes being better sometimes not (arguments can be made that we are behind Purdue and Ind ) The key is that finally, we are at least in the mix and that is a place we have never been before. Now it comes down to coaching and luck and we will see how that plays out. The playing field is not level but it is closer than it has been.
The nice thing is that even though the teams in the middle aren't in the tournament every year, they do make the tournament fairly often. So if we can get to that level, it'll only be a matter of time. Which is something I never thought I'd say.
Collins is doing unbelievable things with recruiting. Assuming he can coach these guys up -- and there's no reason to think he can't -- we're likely going to reach unprecedented heights in the next few years.
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