Northwestern signed four basketball recruits today, the first day of the early signing period, adding forward Vic Law, forward Gavin Skelly, guard Bryant McIntosh and guard Scottie Lindsey to the class of 2014. The class is ranked 21st in the current ESPN rankings. Chris Collins talked publicly about the class for the first time today in a statement from NU:
"We're very excited about this class," Collins said. "We feel like we have addressed a lot of needs in our team. We have added length, athleticism and skill to what we already have in the program. All four are great young men and terrific student-athletes. They all love to play, and that's something that really stood out. They live in the gym and they want to get better. They're hungry to improve and are excited to be a part of our program. All of them are great fits for Northwestern."
We already went in depth on each recruit when they committed, but here's a short look at what each player can bring to NU:
Vic Law
6-foot-7, 185 pounds
Forward
South Holland, Illinois (St. Rita)
What he brings: This is big for a number of reasons, but we’ll start with Law, himself. Scout ranks him as a four-star, the No. 70 overall recruit in the country. Remember when former commit Jaren Sina was the best commit in program history? Law is better — maybe even a lot better. He’s a versatile, 6-foot-7 forward who can run the floor. He’s not a “Northwestern of the past era” kind of player — he had an offer from Bill Carmody, but he’s a much higher-caliber recruit than the kind of player Carmody brought into the program — and he turned down Creighton, Dayton, Florida State, Illinois, West Virginia, VCU and Xavier, among others, to go to NU. Obviously, recruiting rankings can be wrong, but there’s no denying Law’s talent and his ability to be a program-changer from the minute he steps on the floor at NU.
Gavin Skelly
6-foot-9, 220 pounds
Forward
Westlake, Ohio (Westlake)
What he brings: Skelly’s range of skills might obscure your notion of his listed position, center. That’s because Skelly, when he joins the college ranks, expects to attack and defend from a variety of spots on the court. The traditional rigidity of a center’s positional conventions (the back-to-the-basket, paint-restricted, plodding big man) doesn’t apply.
“He said I could be used in a lot of different ways,” Skelly said. “For me, it depends on the game situation. I prefer to be able to score from different spots.”
Bryant McIntosh
6-foot-4, 175 pounds
Guard
New Castle, Indiana (Greensburg)
What he brings: While visiting campus in August, his family taking in Evanston alongside him, McIntosh said his cohort urged him to make his commitment right then and there. He had thoroughly enjoyed his meeting with coaches – wherein Collins outlined his plans to use McIntosh as a “lead guard,” a catchall backcourt designation that will allow him to play alongside incumbent point guard Dave Sobolewski, McIntosh says – and liked what he saw of Evanston.
Scottie Lindsey
6-foot-5, 180 pounds
Guard
Hillside, Illinois (Fenwick)
What he brings: When McIntosh committed two weeks ago, he said one of the biggest reasons behind his decision was the prospect of playing right away in Collins’ offense as a “lead guard,” someone who handles the ball, distributes and scores in equal measure. Lindsey, who stands 6-foot-5, 180-pounds, is a renowned shooter, and is likely to play off the ball as a two guard. The future of the Wildcats backcourt, with McIntosh and Lindsey, is taking shape right before our eyes. Collins’ first class has been a rousing success, and an addition like Lindsey – though not as highly touted as Law – underscores that point.