Northwestern Basketball: Impact of 2021 guard Julian Roper’s commitment

Northwestern basketball is building some recruiting momentum. Most recently, the Wildcats were able to secure a commitment from 2021 guard Julian Roper.

With the commitment of 2021 shooting guard Julian Roper, Northwestern basketball has now secured at least one Top 150 prospect in each of the past four recruiting seasons. For a program that has not experienced a ton of success on the court in its history, this is particularly exciting. Head coach Chris Collins appears to be gaining some significant recruiting momentum and it will be interesting to see whether or not that will lead to more NCAA Tournament appearances.

Diving into Roper, specifically,  he is a 6-foot-3 guard out of Michigan that seems capable of making an immediate impact at the collegiate level. He already brings a well-built frame to the court and still has another year to develop his all-around game before heading to Evanston. Roper is ranked as the No. 136 overall player in the 2021 recruiting class by 247Sports Composite and is regarded as a three-star prospect.

Roper is a dynamic player that can already fill a variety of roles on the floor. Perhaps most notably, he is at his best when taking the ball to the basket. That is where he is able to show off his impressive athleticism with acrobatic finishes either around or through defenders. He also has the ability to play above-the-rim in transition and off the dribble.

Although more finisher than shooter, Roper can step out and knock down 3-pointers with some consistency. He has pretty smooth form and boasts the confidence needed to let it fly from well beyond the arc. Roper has mostly played the “2” at the high school level, but he has enough playmaking instincts to indicate that he can be a secondary creator. Improving on his ball-handling will be a crucial part of his development, though.

Roper is a bit of a “tweener” positionally, but that hasn’t stopped him from being at a high-impact player both at the high school and AAU levels. With his athleticism and length, he can be a difference-making defender at either backcourt slot while also being an offensive threat. He posted averages of 18.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.6 steals per game as a junior with Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (MI) and performed well for Indy Heat on the EYBL circuit last summer as well.

In terms of his recruitment, Roper was long-rumored to have been leaning towards Wisconsin, where he could have played with high school teammate Lorne Bowman. Yet, momentum seemingly started to shift in Northwestern’s direction over the past few weeks prior to his Instagram announcement on May 4th:

When Roper arrives in Evanston, he will be joining an exciting backcourt that head coach Chris Collins has worked to build over the last few years. Boo Buie is fresh off a strong freshman season in which he averaged 10.3 points per game and should be the leader of this group as he will be entering his junior year in 2021-22. Additionally, 2020 commit Ty Berry is a combo guard ranked at No. 136 in his class and should be expected to play big minutes in the backcourt.

Roper should be able to slide alongside those two to form a dynamic guard trio for the Wildcats. With Buie and Berry likely holding down the playmaking duties, Roper will be able to thrive at the off guard spot. He should be able to crack the rotation right away while being able to make contributions on both ends of the floor.

Roper represents the first commit for NU’s 2021 recruiting class but there are a few other targeted also on the radar. The Wildcats have also issued scholarship offers to the likes of Patrick Baldwin, Max Christie, Tamar Bates, Kobe Bufkin, Casey Simmons, and Brooks Barnhizer. All of these players are held in high regard by recruiting analysts and landing one or two more would give Northwestern a very strong class capable of carrying the program into the future.

Roper alone is a solid Top 150 commit that should be a four-year impact player on the perimeter at Northwestern. With some of the program’s recent recruiting successes in addition to his commitment, though, the Wildcats appear to be gaining the momentum needed to build up the talent pool for the program. That is why looking at the bigger picture of this commitment is so important.

Northwestern reached its first NCAA Tournament in 2017 with a 24-12 (10-8 B1G) record but has fallen back to the bottom of the Big Ten in the following years. The Wildcats have put together just a 36-59 (13-45 B1G) record since then and are in need of a breakthrough. With recent recruiting wins and the potential of Roper’s commitment to jumpstart a strong 2021 class, it might be time to be optimistic again in Evanston.