It's been nearly a week since the July evaluation period started for 2014 basketball recruiting, meaning Northwestern's basketball coaches were on the road at various AAU tournaments. The coaches extended a few offers and have shown heavy interest in some other players, as well. Here's a complete rundown of players you need to watch out for:
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Guards
Marcus Bartley
School: Decatur, Macarthur (IL)
Position: PG
AAU: Peoria Irish
Stars: 3
Other offers: Bradley, DePaul, Eastern Illinois, Illinois State, North Dakota State, Oklahoma State, South Dakota State, Tennessee-Martin, William & Mary
What to know: The story stays the same with Bartley. He still isn't very close to deciding, but he's very high on the Wildcats and has been since Chris Collins arrived in Evanston. He said NU will be in it to the end — along with DePaul and Oklahoma State — and he remains one of the Wildcats' top point guard targets in this class.
Bryant McIntosh
School: Greenburg Community (IN)
Position: PG
AAU: Eric Gordon All-Stars
Stars: 3
Other offers: Western Michigan, Kent State, Indiana State, Auburn, Davidson, Florida State
What to know: McIntosh originally committed to Indiana State, but he decommitted recently as more offers started to pour in. He picked up an NU offer, and while he has yet to visit Evanston, he's a big fan of Chris Collins, particularly Collins' ties to Duke. He hopes to visit NU, and he also has the potential to grab some more high-major offers during the July evaluation period.
Darreon Reddick
School: Belleville East (IL)
Position: PG/SG
AAU: SW Illinois Jets
Stars: 2
Offers: Bradley, DePaul, Indiana St., Missouri St., Valparaiso
What to know: Reddick has yet to pick up an offer from NU, but he visited Evanston and thoroughly enjoyed his trip. He is receiving a lot of interest from major conference schools, and NU will decide whether to offer him after watching him throughout the July evaluation period.
Tyler Ulis
School: Marian Catholic (IL)
Position: PG
AAU: Meanstreets
Stars: 4
Other offers: Colorado State, DePaul, Florida, Florida State, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Oregon State, Purdue, Illinois-Chicago, USC, Vanderbilt
What to know: We'll keep him on here because NU is technically still in the running. However, it's a longshot that he ends up in Evanston, as his leaders are believed to be Michigan State and Iowa. As far as point guards go, it seems far more likely that NU will land Bartley or McIntosh, or one that they have yet to offer.
Scott Lindsey
School: Fenwick (IL)
Position: SG
AAU: Illinois Old School
Stars: N/A
Other offers: Hampton, Indiana State, IUPUI
What to know: Lindsey has already visited Northwestern, and while he has yet to earn an offer from the Wildcats or from any other major conference schools, coaches from bigger schools like Vanderbilt, Oregon State, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana have started to show interest in him. NU will continue to watch him throughout July, and if Collins does extend an offer, expect the Wildcats to be near the top of Lindsey's list.
Patrick McCaw
School: Christian Brothers College High (MO)
Position: SG
AAU: Mac Irvin Fire
Stars: 3
Other offers: Bradley, Illinois State, Loyola (Chicago), Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech
What to know: McCaw has yet to receive an offer from NU, but he's one of the players they're watching this evaluation period. He's also an AAU teammate of top NU target Josh Cunningham.
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Forwards/Centers
Josh Cunningham
School: Morgan Park (IL)
Position: SF
AAU: Mac Irvin Fire
Stars: 4
Other offers: Bradley, DePaul, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina
What to know: Of all the top Chicago recruits NU is looking at following Vic Law's commitment, Cunningham seems like the most likely one to land in an NU uniform. That's not saying he will — he's still in the evaluation stage — but he and Collins talk a lot and he has expressed interest in the Wildcats. However, if NU does land a commitment from Cunningham, don't expect it to come for awhile.
Mack Mercer
School: Plymouth (IN)
Position: PF
AAU: Eric Gordon All-Stars
Stars: N/A
Offers: Ball State, Belmont, Boston College, Illinois State, Indiana State, Kent State, Loyola (Chicago), Miami (OH), Rice, Valparaiso, Vermont, William & Mary
What to know: Mercer has yet to pick up an NU offer, but his stock is rising fast during the July evaluation period. Nick Medline tweeted that NU watched him this weekend. He's a name to watch, especially if NU officially falls out of the running for Reid Travis — a Minnesota power forward with a number of top offers.
Gavin Skelly
School: Westlake (OH)
Position: PF/C
AAU: Team Work
Stars: N/A
Offers: Akron, Bowling Green, Bucknell, Buffalo, Cleveland State, Dartmouth, Elon, Kent State, Miami (OH), Oakland, Ohio, Toledo, William & Mary, Winthrop, Wright State
What to know: Northwestern's coaches recently got in contact with Skelly and told him that they would be watching him throughout the July evaluation period. He expressed a lot of interest in NU and visited campus in June. He also described his versatile, fast playing style as one that would fit well into Collins' system.