It’s one official visitor down, and two to go for Northwestern basketball this month.
The Wildcats hosted Missouri point guard Cameron Carr last weekend for his official visit. This weekend, California point guard Parker Strauss will be in Evanston for his official. Then, next weekend, wing Blake Barkley from West Virginia will arrive for his OV.
By the end of the month, the Wildcats hope to have a class to join point guard Jordan Clayton, who committed to the program in August. The goal is to bring in three guards and a wing, so if NU can land all three visitors this month, their work will be done for the class.
At this point, it is not known whether guards Boo Buie and Chase Audige will return for their free COVID year next season. Either way, the Wildcats will be fine with numbers: there are only 10 scholarship players on the current roster.
That scholarship situation gives you an idea of where head coach Chris Collins and the Wildcats are as a program. He is trying to reboot after five straight losing seasons and getting a “win or else”-type of message from his athletic director after last year’s disappointing finish. You can just imagine how difficult that has made recruiting in this cycle.
Our attempts to reach Carr to get his thoughts on his official visit experience have been unsuccessful. But sources say that all went well and the NU staff feels pretty good about its chances to land the 6-foot-5 guard.
It looks like Kansas State will be the primary competition for Carr, who grew up in Manhattan, Kan. His father, former NBA player Chris Carr, was on the women’s basketball staff at K-State, and his sister, Chrissy, played for the Wildcats. But Chris is no longer with the program and Chrissy transferred to Syracuse, so the family ties to KSU are no longer there.
Northwestern has got to be the overwhelming favorite to land Strauss. He announced a Top 6 in early August of Northwestern, Fordham, Colorado State, Wyoming, Southern Utah and Lehigh. The Wildcats are the only Power Six program on the list, and also the best academic school. This will be Strauss’ first official visit.
Barkley, a 6-foot-8 wing who will play in the NEPSAC this season, is another prospect without another high-major offer. He will take an official visit to Akron this weekend before making the trip to Evanston at the end of the month.
Northwestern's staff feels like they've unearthed some "diamonds in the rough" in this class, sleepers who flew under the radar but will be valuable contributors for the Wildcats in the future. However, it's telling that of the 44 combined offers for their three remaining targets -- Carr has 12, Strauss 13 and Barkley 19 -- just one comes from a Power Six program.
The Wildcats hosted Missouri point guard Cameron Carr last weekend for his official visit. This weekend, California point guard Parker Strauss will be in Evanston for his official. Then, next weekend, wing Blake Barkley from West Virginia will arrive for his OV.
By the end of the month, the Wildcats hope to have a class to join point guard Jordan Clayton, who committed to the program in August. The goal is to bring in three guards and a wing, so if NU can land all three visitors this month, their work will be done for the class.
At this point, it is not known whether guards Boo Buie and Chase Audige will return for their free COVID year next season. Either way, the Wildcats will be fine with numbers: there are only 10 scholarship players on the current roster.
That scholarship situation gives you an idea of where head coach Chris Collins and the Wildcats are as a program. He is trying to reboot after five straight losing seasons and getting a “win or else”-type of message from his athletic director after last year’s disappointing finish. You can just imagine how difficult that has made recruiting in this cycle.
Our attempts to reach Carr to get his thoughts on his official visit experience have been unsuccessful. But sources say that all went well and the NU staff feels pretty good about its chances to land the 6-foot-5 guard.
It looks like Kansas State will be the primary competition for Carr, who grew up in Manhattan, Kan. His father, former NBA player Chris Carr, was on the women’s basketball staff at K-State, and his sister, Chrissy, played for the Wildcats. But Chris is no longer with the program and Chrissy transferred to Syracuse, so the family ties to KSU are no longer there.
Northwestern has got to be the overwhelming favorite to land Strauss. He announced a Top 6 in early August of Northwestern, Fordham, Colorado State, Wyoming, Southern Utah and Lehigh. The Wildcats are the only Power Six program on the list, and also the best academic school. This will be Strauss’ first official visit.
Barkley, a 6-foot-8 wing who will play in the NEPSAC this season, is another prospect without another high-major offer. He will take an official visit to Akron this weekend before making the trip to Evanston at the end of the month.
Northwestern's staff feels like they've unearthed some "diamonds in the rough" in this class, sleepers who flew under the radar but will be valuable contributors for the Wildcats in the future. However, it's telling that of the 44 combined offers for their three remaining targets -- Carr has 12, Strauss 13 and Barkley 19 -- just one comes from a Power Six program.
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