2025-2026 Season Preview

[Thefilmroom]

Hey all, wanted to share something new I’ve been working on for fellow Wildcat hoops fans.
I just launched a podcast called The Film Room: NU Hoops, where I break down Northwestern basketball from a film and analysis perspective — returning players, new additions, depatures, all that good stuff.

The 1st episode is up now on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon.

Would love for you guys to give it a listen and let me know what you think, always down to talk hoops with this board.

 

[UpsetAlert]

Hey all, wanted to share something new I’ve been working on for fellow Wildcat hoops fans.
I just launched a podcast called The Film Room: NU Hoops, where I break down Northwestern basketball from a film and analysis perspective — returning players, new additions, depatures, all that good stuff.

The 1st episode is up now on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon.

Would love for you guys to give it a listen and let me know what you think, always down to talk hoops with this board.

Sweet. Looking forward to this!

 

[macarthur31]

Real nice work! I found your analysis to be very thoughtful (particularly reminding the listener that development isn't linear, so to have patience with 2nd years like KJ and Ciaravino). Also, after listening to your pod, I gained an insight on Page - while his offensive ceiling is tantalizing, Collins needs him to be a relentless rim protector to anchor a defense that may be lacking on the perimeter. While, I'm confident in Mullins stepping into that 'Audige' stopper role, with regards to one-on-one defense it's either adequate at best (Martinelli), having to step up in conference quality (Reid, Green), unknown (Singleton) or hoping that KJ/Ciaravino can step up because they're getting stronger and previous exposure to B1G play.

Look forward to more episodes!

 

[Thefilmroom]

Real nice work! I found your analysis to be very thoughtful (particularly reminding the listener that development isn't linear, so to have patience with 2nd years like KJ and Ciaravino). Also, after listening to your pod, I gained an insight on Page - while his offensive ceiling is tantalizing, Collins needs him to be a relentless rim protector to anchor a defense that may be lacking on the perimeter. While, I'm confident in Mullins stepping into that 'Audige' stopper role, with regards to one-on-one defense it's either adequate at best (Martinelli), having to step up in conference quality (Reid, Green), unknown (Singleton) or hoping that KJ/Ciaravino can step up because they're getting stronger and previous exposure to B1G play.

Look forward to more episodes!

Thank you for the feedback! I really appreciate it. Reid, Page, and Singleton are some key players to watch early. How those 3 perform will give us a good idea of the floor of this team. Green, if he can figure out the defensive side would elevate the teams ceiling and really expand what it can do offensively. A lot of young developing talent, it should be a fun year!

 

[GatoLouco]

Enjoyed listening to the podcast. Great breakdown of the characteristics of each player in last year's and this year's rosters. Looking forward to more analysis.

 

[SDakaGordie]

Also enjoyed this very much. I have to admit it sounded like we have a LOT to replace! One question - why was Phoenix Gill not profiled? I know redshirt has been mentioned so wondering if that is more definite than not?

 

[Thefilmroom]

Also enjoyed this very much. I have to admit it sounded like we have a LOT to replace! One question - why was Phoenix Gill not profiled? I know redshirt has been mentioned so wondering if that is more definite than not?

That was an error on my part. Thank you for noticing! My first effort attempt at a podcast is not without it's flaws. Caveat my freshman takes are on the glass half full side. Below it what should have been included:

Phoenix Gill’s strengths center on his polish and feel for the game. He’s a confident shot-creator with a smooth pull-up jumper, advanced balance in traffic, and a knack for rebounding from the guard spot. You can see the pedigree in how he reads space and maintains composure under pressure, even if the tools aren’t yet fully Big Ten-ready. He competes defensively and shows real effort on closeouts and rotations, which gives him a foundation to build on. That said, given Northwestern’s backcourt depth and Gill’s current need to add strength and extend his shooting range, he’s a natural redshirt candidate. A developmental year would let him adjust to the physicality and defensive speed of the Big Ten while focusing on strength training and catch-and-shoot consistency. If he embraces that role, he could emerge in Year 2 as a poised, two-way rotation guard with scoring upside and a strong grasp of team concepts, the kind of player who grows steadily into the program rather than being rushed into minutes before he’s ready

 

[GatoLouco]

It's a tough balance to try to make a pleasant podcast to listen to and be objective about glass half full or half empty when analysing the players. There's probably a bit much glass half full and a bit little of highlighting the shortcomings.

Having said that, I'd probably make the same choice, stick to glass half full now, leave the glass half empty for later analysis, when we are, inevitably, punched in the face.

 

[Thefilmroom]

It's a tough balance to try to make a pleasant podcast to listen to and be objective about glass half full or half empty when analysing the players. There's probably a bit much glass half full and a bit little of highlighting the shortcomings.

Having said that, I'd probably make the same choice, stick to glass half full now, leave the glass half empty for later analysis, when we are, inevitably, punched in the face.

Ya, my plan was to be nice for the offseason since we don't get to see how hard these guys are working or what improvements they're making. Then be a bit more harsh come season start. It's also a ton more fun, as you acknowledged, to enter the season on the glass half full side! I have feeling there's going to be lots of things to criticize, especially early given the youth and lack of experience this group has had together. At least they got the full offseason together unlike last year due to all the injuries. Appreciate the feedback as always!