All facts considered it was a great season! The development of Buie, Big Matt and Barnhizer stand out the most. Barnhizer will be the leader of the team in coming years. Big Matt should be a force next year and can take another big step by adding a couple post moves (and a hook shot) and becoming a better free-throw shooter. Martinelli also got some valuable experience and will be a good player. He hasn't showed it yet, but he's an excellent shooter and has a high Basketball IQ. He should also develop into a better defender next season. Hopefully Roper heals up and can also contribute next season.
The Cats biggest issue is the tendency to rely on the "stars" to do too much and stop moving the ball. Northwestern will likely never have a true go to "superstar" (1st rounder) to dominate a game and need to play a TEAM game of sharing the ball and playing tough defense. The one-on-one isolation stuff is ok once in a while, but never works on a regular basis especially against high level competition and superior athletes. Everyone on UCLA knew Boo only goes right on the crossover one-on-one move and they shut it down completely. Last night Chase got hot, which is great, but he started forcing shots when he could have found the open man. A large part of Boo's development earlier in the season was becoming a facilitator, not a one-one-one guy. Last season the cats relied on Nance far too much and it was a disaster. Nance was never a true "star" and ended but being just a guy.
In today's college basketball landscape, between recruiting and the Portal, the Cats can put together a nice roster of 8 or 9 players and be competitive in the Big Ten and make the tourney on a regular basis. The opportunity to change the roster using the Portal and NIL is much easier in Basketball because of the need for only 8 players as opposed to 22+ in football. Adding just 1 or 2 players via the Portal can totally change a team. Just adding Verhooven made a big difference this year. With this year's success CC can aggressively use the portal. A sharpshooter and a big would be nice.
This year was also "special" because the Cats engaged the students and fans. This is a big deal for the culture of the program and the fanbase. It was great to see WR sold out and rocking this season. They have the opportunity to build on the momentum and continue to pack the place. This season's success should also help recruiting, and if the cats can recruit and use the portal effectively, things could be fun a WR for the foreseeable future. Hopefully this is just the beginning of a new era of NU hoops! #gocats
The Cats biggest issue is the tendency to rely on the "stars" to do too much and stop moving the ball. Northwestern will likely never have a true go to "superstar" (1st rounder) to dominate a game and need to play a TEAM game of sharing the ball and playing tough defense. The one-on-one isolation stuff is ok once in a while, but never works on a regular basis especially against high level competition and superior athletes. Everyone on UCLA knew Boo only goes right on the crossover one-on-one move and they shut it down completely. Last night Chase got hot, which is great, but he started forcing shots when he could have found the open man. A large part of Boo's development earlier in the season was becoming a facilitator, not a one-one-one guy. Last season the cats relied on Nance far too much and it was a disaster. Nance was never a true "star" and ended but being just a guy.
In today's college basketball landscape, between recruiting and the Portal, the Cats can put together a nice roster of 8 or 9 players and be competitive in the Big Ten and make the tourney on a regular basis. The opportunity to change the roster using the Portal and NIL is much easier in Basketball because of the need for only 8 players as opposed to 22+ in football. Adding just 1 or 2 players via the Portal can totally change a team. Just adding Verhooven made a big difference this year. With this year's success CC can aggressively use the portal. A sharpshooter and a big would be nice.
This year was also "special" because the Cats engaged the students and fans. This is a big deal for the culture of the program and the fanbase. It was great to see WR sold out and rocking this season. They have the opportunity to build on the momentum and continue to pack the place. This season's success should also help recruiting, and if the cats can recruit and use the portal effectively, things could be fun a WR for the foreseeable future. Hopefully this is just the beginning of a new era of NU hoops! #gocats
