With the second July evaluation period finished, we take a look at how Northwestern's targets performed and the latest news involving their recruitments. For more, check out our 2014 basketball recruiting board.
McIntosh Gaining Interest
Northwestern was one of the first high-major programs to offer Bryant McIntosh a couple weeks ago, but since then, his recruitment has exploded. He now holds offers from Iowa, Cincinnati, Missouri, Creighton and West Virginia — in addition to Auburn and Florida State offers from before — and that may only be the beginning. He's one of three major point guard targets the Wildcats are looking at, and he does have a lot of interest in NU:
“Growing up as a Duke fan, talking to him on the phone was great,” McIntosh said Friday. “That’s something that really attracts me (about Chris Collins).”
McIntosh scaled back his fanhood in recent years as he entered the recruiting process, but his Blue Devils love remains strong enough that the Collins tie-in makes Northwestern one of his top choices.
“I’m still getting to know them,” he said. “But I’d say they’re definitely very high on my list.”
McIntosh said he hopes to visit Evanston, so we likely won't know more until then. However, one of the Wildcats' top point guard targets just got a lot tougher to land in the past week.
More on the Point Guards
It's no secret that Northwestern wants a point guard in this class, and the Wildcats have made McIntosh, Tyler Ulis and Marcus Bartley all major priorities. Initially it looked like NU would be able to land one — and they certainly still can — but all of them have been picking up more interest recently.
We've already explained the McIntosh situation and Ulis has blown up so much this month that the Wildcats are going to have a very difficult time landing him. The best possibility remains Bartley, who NU has been recruiting the longest — he said the Wildcats will be one of his final choices — but Oklahoma State, and potentially Stanford, are strong competitors. As I said, NU still could land one of these three point guards, but it will be a lot tougher after the past two weeks.
Players to Watch Without an NU Offer
Some of the most intriguing prospects to watch heading into this week are the ones without a Northwestern offer, partly because that tells you a lot about the players the Wildcats have offered. If they suddenly offer a couple players from one position, it likely means players they've currently offered at that position are looking in other directions. Here are a few to watch:
- Gavin Skelly, PF/C: Skelly, an athletic power forward, has been talking to NU for awhile and is very high on the Wildcats. He knows that his performance in July will determine whether he gets an offer, but if he does, he's certainly a candidate to commit.
- Darreon Reddick, PG: Right now, Ulis, MacIntosh and Bartley are the priorities at point guard. Reddick appears to be next in line, and he hopes to earn an offer this summer.
- Scottie Lindsey, SG: Lindsey visited NU when he wasn't very well known. Now, he's picked up a number of offers and is garnering interest from some high-major programs, like Iowa and NU. He's one to watch as July comes to a close.