The actual was game was almost secondary in last night’s season opener for Northwestern. The Wildcats took care of business and beat overmatched Eastern Illinois 80-56 at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
But the more important thing was getting a first look at the 2021-22 Cats who are just starting what will be a pivotal year in the tenure of head coach Chris Collins.
Here are my first impressions of four Wildcats – three newcomers and one veteran – who caught my eye last night.
Julian Roper impressed me. The freshman from Detroit already looks like a college player physically.
He is a better ballhandler than I expected and is quick off the dribble. He had a nice pump fake where he blew right past the defender on the baseline for a pullup just outside of the lane, but he missed it. He also had a fast-break layup where he took it all the way to the rim and got a goaltending call.
He hit a corner 3 off of a nice feed from Buie, but that was his only make in four shots from long distance. He made just 2 of 9 shots for the game, but he’s got a pretty good-looking shot. I also like that he was confident enough to take the shots when they were there.
He’s going to be an effective perimeter defender. He’s long and he has quick hands. He had three steals last night in his 24 minutes, and he pulled down four rebounds.
Casey Simmons is an athletic freshman who has a big upside. He’s a very long, very bouncy player. But he’s a guy who will be much more effective in a year or two, after he hits the weight room and adds some bulk to his very lean frame. He’s all arms and legs.
He played just 14 minutes last night. He had six points, but four of them came at the free-throw line because he was attacking the rim. He made just 1 of 5 shots from the floor. He had three rebounds and one turnover.
With his long stride, Simmons can really run the floor. He can certainly be a finisher when the Cats get out and run, and he’s a guy that might be able to create his own shot and get to the rim off the dribble. The question is whether he is strong enough to finish through contact.
Elyjah Williams is going to be an impact player for the Cats this season. Period.
There's an old-school aspect to the game of this grad transfer from Farleigh-Dickinson. I asked Collins about him after the game, and he called Williams “a really unique player.” He certainly is that. He does a lot of things well.
In just 16 minutes last night he had nine points, four rebounds and two assists. He hit a 3, had an impressive pass inside off of a post-up to Pete Nance for a layup, and sent bodies flying underneath after he barreled in for a rebound in the second half.
He’s a smart, veteran player who knows how to play the game. Collins said he can play him with a lot of different personnel combinations because he can fit in with everybody. The coach also likes Williams’ energy, leadership and personality.
I got some pretty good quotes from Collins and Williams and will write a story about him soon.
I also wanted to write about freshman Brooks Barnhizer, but he did not play last night. I meant to ask Collins about his status after the game but forgot. So instead, I wrote about one veteran whose development will be key if the Wildcats turn into the bubble team that BTN’s Andy Katz expects them to be:
Ty Berry looks like a different player out there. The sophomore guard has bulked up from last season and is much more confident with the ball. He looked to be in command with the ball in his hands in the open floor. He had two assists, including finding Casey Simmons for an easy layup on a fast break.
He's also much more aggressive looking for his shot -- though he's never been afraid to pull the trigger. He made 2 of 5 3-pointers and finished with 13 points, tied for second-most on the team.
Berry played more minutes than anyone last night with 30 – in part because Chase Audige was sidelined with a “hip issue,” head coach Chris Collins said. Berry was active on the boards, with six rebounds. He had two assists, as well as two turnovers.
We’ll see how much his ballhandling skills have improved once they get to Big Ten play and teams pressure him.
But the more important thing was getting a first look at the 2021-22 Cats who are just starting what will be a pivotal year in the tenure of head coach Chris Collins.
Here are my first impressions of four Wildcats – three newcomers and one veteran – who caught my eye last night.
Julian Roper impressed me. The freshman from Detroit already looks like a college player physically.
He is a better ballhandler than I expected and is quick off the dribble. He had a nice pump fake where he blew right past the defender on the baseline for a pullup just outside of the lane, but he missed it. He also had a fast-break layup where he took it all the way to the rim and got a goaltending call.
He hit a corner 3 off of a nice feed from Buie, but that was his only make in four shots from long distance. He made just 2 of 9 shots for the game, but he’s got a pretty good-looking shot. I also like that he was confident enough to take the shots when they were there.
He’s going to be an effective perimeter defender. He’s long and he has quick hands. He had three steals last night in his 24 minutes, and he pulled down four rebounds.
Casey Simmons is an athletic freshman who has a big upside. He’s a very long, very bouncy player. But he’s a guy who will be much more effective in a year or two, after he hits the weight room and adds some bulk to his very lean frame. He’s all arms and legs.
He played just 14 minutes last night. He had six points, but four of them came at the free-throw line because he was attacking the rim. He made just 1 of 5 shots from the floor. He had three rebounds and one turnover.
With his long stride, Simmons can really run the floor. He can certainly be a finisher when the Cats get out and run, and he’s a guy that might be able to create his own shot and get to the rim off the dribble. The question is whether he is strong enough to finish through contact.
Elyjah Williams is going to be an impact player for the Cats this season. Period.
There's an old-school aspect to the game of this grad transfer from Farleigh-Dickinson. I asked Collins about him after the game, and he called Williams “a really unique player.” He certainly is that. He does a lot of things well.
In just 16 minutes last night he had nine points, four rebounds and two assists. He hit a 3, had an impressive pass inside off of a post-up to Pete Nance for a layup, and sent bodies flying underneath after he barreled in for a rebound in the second half.
He’s a smart, veteran player who knows how to play the game. Collins said he can play him with a lot of different personnel combinations because he can fit in with everybody. The coach also likes Williams’ energy, leadership and personality.
I got some pretty good quotes from Collins and Williams and will write a story about him soon.
I also wanted to write about freshman Brooks Barnhizer, but he did not play last night. I meant to ask Collins about his status after the game but forgot. So instead, I wrote about one veteran whose development will be key if the Wildcats turn into the bubble team that BTN’s Andy Katz expects them to be:
Ty Berry looks like a different player out there. The sophomore guard has bulked up from last season and is much more confident with the ball. He looked to be in command with the ball in his hands in the open floor. He had two assists, including finding Casey Simmons for an easy layup on a fast break.
He's also much more aggressive looking for his shot -- though he's never been afraid to pull the trigger. He made 2 of 5 3-pointers and finished with 13 points, tied for second-most on the team.
Berry played more minutes than anyone last night with 30 – in part because Chase Audige was sidelined with a “hip issue,” head coach Chris Collins said. Berry was active on the boards, with six rebounds. He had two assists, as well as two turnovers.
We’ll see how much his ballhandling skills have improved once they get to Big Ten play and teams pressure him.
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