Since Northwestern football hasn’t done much besides break our hearts this year, NBN Sports turned its focus to a happier place: the basketball court. As 2018 recruiting slows down, we looked at how Northwestern’s 2018 recruiting class looks as they enter their final years of high school ball (spoiler: they look good).
Jono Zarrilli: forward Pete Nance
While Northwestern may not be able to compete with Ohio State or Michigan when it comes to football recruiting, Chris Collins and former Michigan assistant Billy Donlon are proving that they can for basketball. Maybe Chris Collins was right that last year was just the beginning. Son of three-time NBA All-Star Larry Nance and brother of Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr., Pete, from Richfield, Ohio, looked likely to wind up in Ann Arbor or Columbus before visiting Evanston on June 27. By June 29, he was a Wildcat. Nance’s 6’8”, 210-pound frame will add much-needed size to the team, but he also has impressive athleticism and an above-average jumper for a forward. A near-consensus top-20 forward in his recruiting class, Nance is the highest-rated recruit in Northwestern history – his addition to the 2018 class means the sky’s the limit for Northwestern.
Duncan Agnew: forward Miller Kopp
Coming out of Houston, the athletic Kopp was a huge pick-up for Chris Collins to round out the 2018 recruiting class. Ranked 100th in this year’s pool of high school prospects, the four-star small forward boasts an impressive 6’7”, 215-pound frame. Kopp should also add reliable shooting to the Northwestern offense – something the Wildcats desperately need to keep up with college basketball’s blue bloods, and will especially need with Scottie Lindsey and Bryant McIntosh graduating. His ultra-competitive mindset, combined with size and outside shooting ability, bode well for the future. With much of the starting lineup set to graduate this spring, the Wildcats might not have to look far for the next big thing.
Trevor Lystad: guard Jordan Lathon
Jordan Lathon, a 6’4” point guard from Grandview, Mo., committed to NU in late June. Lathon is a three-star recruit according to most sites, though some have given him four stars. Lathon had offers from several other schools, the biggest ones being Butler, Iowa State and Illinois. With phenomenal size and athleticism for his position, Lathon had a well-rounded junior year – he averaged 16.5 points, five assists and seven rebounds. While Lathon could end up playing either guard position, it’s certainly possible that Chris Collins views him as the eventual replacement to Bryant McIntosh, who will depart after this season – though Isiah Brown may have a few words to say about that. Lathon’s main scoring abilities come from attacking the basket (he shot just 27 percent from three last season), but his form is sound, so he could certainly develop a three-point shot in the coming years. Lathon might not be the star of the class (hello, Pete Nance), but don’t be surprised if he’s a major contributor in a couple years.
Charlie Sidles: forward/center Ryan Young
While Ryan Young is not the highest rated member of the incoming Wildcat class, he may end up being the most important. Young is 6’10”, and he’s taller than everyone currently on the roster save Barret Benson, who is also 6’10”. Young will be an important piece in the future of the Wildcat’s frontcourt in a conference where big men tend to dominate.
During his junior season at Bethlehem Catholic in Bethlehem, PA, Young averaged nearly 14 points and more than 12 rebounds a game. He is a good finisher around the rim and is not afraid to get physical. He plays mostly around the basket without much of an outside game, but he isn’t a total liability from deep (he shot 27 percent from three, the exact same as Lathon). Simply put, he’s the type of gritty big man that every winning team needs.