Northwestern Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Wildcats
Key Reserves for the Northwestern Wildcats
F, 6’8, 225, Junior, Aaron Falzon
He’s a borderline starter. As a freshman, Falzon played in 32 games and started 29 of them. He then got hurt and only played in three games. Falzon received a redshirt and came back last season to play in 28 games while only making 10 starts. At the beginning of his career, he looked to be a for sure starter. After sustaining an injury and falling behind, he couldn’t sustain a starting gig in Northwestern. He went from 8.4 points per game to just 5.5 last season. It was not a good bounce-back response for Falzon as all his numbers took serious hits. It took him a while to adjust back to receiving regular playing time. Either way, he’ll be the sixth man for the Wildcats.
C, 6’10, 240, Junior, Barrett Benson
Barrett Benson is the next in line when it comes to points per game from a season ago. There were five guys who played in all 32 games last season. Benson was one of them. In fact, he even started a game last season when things weren’t going so well. With his size, it’s hard not to force him into games. Benson isn’t much of a scorer, but as a guy who stands at six-foot-ten, he’s a body that needs to be in the frontcourt. He averaged 2.2 boards per game and recorded 18 blocks last season. The Wildcats are really hoping that he’ll improve just the slightest as he’ll see an even bigger role.
G, 6’3, 200, Senior, Jordan Ash
Jordan Ash was another that was thrown into a pretty big role even if the numbers don’t exactly show it. He played in 25 out of 32 games last season and made four starts. Ash averaged over 12 minutes per game. He didn’t quite finish out the season, but by that point, there wasn’t a whole lot left to play for. But the action he saw last season in the games he was in is vital for what is going to happen this year. He was a decent scorer at 2.1 per game while hitting 11 three-pointers. It’s not bad for a guy who wasn’t expected to have that kind of role and like Benson, he’ll be in line for one of the top guys off the bench.
F, 6’10, 210, Freshman, Pete Nance
Pete Nance is listed as Northwestern’s biggest recruit of all-time according to 24/7sports.com. He’s a four-star and 88th overall coming from Ohio where he was ranked third in the state. Expect Falzon to be the top guy off the bench, but if Nance really makes headways in practice and the first couple game, he could be next in line. This is quietly a pretty good pickup by Chris Collins. He may need to add some pounds, but the potential is there.
F, 6’7, 210, Freshman, Miller Kopp
Here is the third rated Northwestern recruit of all-time. It’s kind of crazy to look at it, but they’re listing Miller Kopp as just one of three four-stars in program history. The other guy is the one we just mentioned and the second rated player is Vic Law. So if both guys end up having careers like Law, Northwestern should be in good hands with these players. He’s another big body that should fit in the rotation. His recruiting profile lists him both as a small forward and shooting guard. But the Northwestern website lists him as a forward. I’m guessing he’ll be a good shooter so Kopp has the potential to stretch the defense and play various positions.