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Northwestern basketball recruiting update: 2016 offer tracker

The Wildcat coaching staff has been busy on the recruiting trail. Here's a look at who might be joining Rapolas Ivanauskas in the 2016 class.

By Jason Dorow
David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

With the recruiting class of 2015 all but wrapped up, Chris Collins and the Northwestern staff have shifted their focus to high school juniors and the Wildcats' 2016 recruiting class. Collins has already sent out a bunch of offers, in addition to the commitment he received from four-star small forward Rapolas Ivanauskas. Here's a look at those offers and who else might be on NU's radar.

Guards

Xavier Simpson - PG - ★★★★ - Lima Central Catholic (Lima, OH)

The 5-foot-11 point guard has offers from a bunch of midwest schools, including Iowa, Purdue, Xavier and Toledo. Simpson, who was offered by Northwestern last July, just cracks 247Sports' top 100 recruits in the class of 2016, coming in at 93rd in the nation. Simpson is just a decent scorer, but he's a great distributor and on-ball defender. Luke Srodulski of 247Sports described Simpson as "not the type of player who will blow you away. He's just very, very solid."

Breein Tyree- PG - ★★★ - St. Joseph (Metuchen, NJ)

Tyree had to wait a bit longer than Simpson for his offer from Northwestern. The 3-star combo guard from New Jersey finally got the call from Collins in late April. Tyree reportedly named Northwestern as one of the schools recruiting him the hardest, along with USC and UMass. He also has offers from Creighton, Iowa State, Rutgers and Virginian Tech, among others. At 6-foot-2, Tyree has the size to play both guard spots, and he uses his bounce to get to the hoop and throw down some monster dunks.

Quentin Jackson - PG - ★★★ - Carlisle School (Martinsville, NJ)

Another New Jersey product, Jackson has offers from Harvard, Houston, Tennessee, NU, DePaul and Tulsa. Northwestern is one of the top contenders to land the 6-foot-4 combo guard, according to Wildcat Report. Chris Collins and Brian James watched Jackson play in April at an Adidas event, and Jackson's AAU coach, Jerry Stackhouse, played under James while with the Wizards.

Jagan Mosely - SG - ★★★★ - St. Anthony (Jersey City, NJ)

Mosely has garnered more and more attention from Power Five schools lately, and he received an offer from Northwestern at the end of April. At 6-foot-3, Mosely is more of a combo guard than true shooting guard, and he ranks 121st in the country on 247Sports. Mosely, who also holds offers from Georgia Tech, Rutgers and a host of Ivy League schools, is really athletic, tough and great around the rim, as seen in his highlight reel.

Christian Terrell - SG - ★★★ - Sacramento (Sacramento, CA)

Terrell doesn't hold an offer from NU at this point, but he's received high interest from the Wildcat coaching staff, according to Srodulski. A rare California target for Northwestern, Terrell mostly has offers from the West Coast, including Washington, USC, Gonzaga and Fresno State. Like most of Collins' targets, the 6-foot-4 guard can jump out of the gym.

Forwards

Kodye Pugh - SF - ★★★★ - The Boys' Latin School (Baltimore, MD)

Pugh has been on Northwestern's radar for a while now. He received an offer from NU last June and now holds offers Georgetown, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Temple, St. Joe's, Richmond, George Washington and Georgia Tech, among others. One of the few southpaws on the hardwood, Pugh has a smooth lefty jumper and at 6-foot-6 and 185 pounds, he's comparable to a less athletic Vic Law.

Barret Benson - C - ★★★★ - Hinsdale South (Darien, IL)

Chris Collins' ceaseless pursuit of the center to replace Alex Olah is centering in on Barret Benson. Considered the best big man in his class in the state of Illinois, Benson has offers Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas State, Nebraska, Purdue, Indiana, Iowa and Vanderbilt. But NU has a legitimate shot at the 6-foot-10, 230 pound center, according to Srodulski, who says Benson is a back-to-the-basket center with a good mid-range jumper, solid shot blocking instincts and an underrated passing ability.

Joey Brunk - C - ★★★★ - Southport (Indianapolis, IN)

Northwestern will have to beat out a handful of Big Ten schools to land a highly touted center. Joey Brunk -- the other center Northwestern has offered in the 2016 class -- has received offers from Iowa, Indiana, Michigan State and Purdue, as well as Xavier and Butler. Brunk is a low-post scorer with great touch and footwork, who also rebounds rather well, which apparently has earned him the nickname "The Big Smooth."

Dylan Painter - C - Hershey (Hershey, PA)

Although most sites don't even have a star rating for the 6-foot-10 'stretch 5,' Painter got an offer from NU several weeks ago. He's gained some interest from Collins' staff, and he holds offers from 15-plus schools, including Dayton, George Washington, Georgia Tech, Richmond, Penn State and Xavier. Painter probably isn't Northwestern's first choice at center, but Collins surely wouldn't be disappointed to add someone with his size.

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