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Inside Brooks Barnhizer's commitment to NU

7

7th Cir. Cat

Redshirt
Jul 25, 2006
2,171
9
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NUera said:
Haha I said *shades*! Not the second coming! But in all serious, Coach K likes those tall, positionless guys who can slide 2-4 and Collins is very much building us to play the same way. There’s a world where Brooks plays the Dunleavy point-forward spot for us. How many guys have we truly had like that, those 6-7+ guys who could bring the ball down court and run the offense? Maybe Shurna? Vedran? And like... Jeff Ryan?
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We literally just tried that experiment two years ago with 6'7 AJ Turner. Didn't go too well.
But perhaps Brooks is a more natural point forward. I agree that Collins is trying to emulate Duke with the position-less basketball. But I think that's more of a factor of Duke just having so many amazing recruits that you just need to get them on the floor regardless of position. Guys like RJ Barrett and Zion are going to play, doesn't matter if you have a more traditional player at their position.

For NU, I don't think we have that luxury and we still need a traditional PG like B-Mac or Juice and a big rim protector/rebounder like Ryan Young. I'm curious to see if we will have two PG sets this year with Boo and Berry.
 
C

cats_man_too

Redshirt
Sep 22, 2020
265
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7th Cir. Cat said:
For NU, I don't think we have that luxury and we still need a traditional PG like B-Mac or Juice and a big rim protector/rebounder like Ryan Young. I'm curious to see if we will have two PG sets this year with Boo and Berry.
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I think we'll see a lot of Boo-Berry this season!

Predicted Primary Starting 5 this season: 1) Boo, 2) Berry, 3) Kopp, 4) Beran, 5) Nance. AG, Audige, and Young will start games, too. Nicholson and Greer with ~8-10 min/game.
 
7

7th Cir. Cat

Redshirt
Jul 25, 2006
2,171
9
23
That would be an interesting five with lots of quickness on the court. With that lineup, however, I think you would be missing an inside presence. Nance has a tendency to float around the perimeter and take (in my opinion) too many 3s. Last year Nance took 100 3s! Which is a ton for a PF who is shooting less than 30%. Don't think Beran is bulky enough to protect the rim on his own in the BIG. Also, there is a really good argument that last year Young was our most consistent player.

CC will probably do a lot of mixing and matching until he figures out the right mix.
 
R

rogerkim

Redshirt
Jan 22, 2020
903
38
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7th Cir. Cat said:
Nance has a tendency to float around the perimeter and take (in my opinion) too many 3s. Last year Nance took 100 3s! Which is a ton for a PF who is shooting less than 30%.
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Yeah, one of the things I will be looking for is Nance to have a stronger interior presence. His athleticism, height, and wingspan should really allow him to be much more effective closer to the rim, especially on the offensive boards. I think his tendency to take 3s took him too far to come in and grab some easy put-backs.
 
DaCat

DaCat

All-Conference
May 29, 2001
25,505
1,897
113
salukicat said:
A lot to be excited about for the future if your a Cat's fan. Barnhizer's having a great HS senior season: https://t.co/ImkNTQHLT1
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It would be cool if he got Mr. Basketball for Indiana. I only remember one other Mr. Basketball that we got, and that's Jeff Grose. Were there any others, from other states?
 
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Vassar69

Sophomore
Feb 16, 2019
959
142
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Fitzphile said:
What is the level of competition he's playing against?
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Pretty decent. Lafayette Jeff is big, about 2k kids. They’re in the largest class of high school basketball in the state so he’s not lighting up a bunch of farm boys from Hickory. But they’re not in the Indy metro conferences that hold most of the D1 recruits (although looking at their schedule it looks like they’ve scheduled a couple games against some of the suburban schools).
 
N

NJCat

All-Conference
Mar 7, 2016
21,327
1,502
113
Vassar69 said:
Pretty decent. Lafayette Jeff is big, about 2k kids. They’re in the largest class of high school basketball in the state so he’s not lighting up a bunch of farm boys from Hickory. But they’re not in the Indy metro conferences that hold most of the D1 recruits (although looking at their schedule it looks like they’ve scheduled a couple games against some of the suburban schools).
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Thanks. Appreciate it.
 
C

ColumbusCatFan1_rivals

Sophomore
Jun 18, 2005
4,040
135
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mickbula said:
Didn't he transer to DRake though? That second mass exodus killed oneil and he finally quit. Very sad
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Yep.

He basically ran off his entire team and then bolted for the pros. I know many here have a strong distain for Carmody; for me it’s O’Neill. He was a miserable coach, a poor representative of the university, and an even worse person.
 
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DaCat

DaCat

All-Conference
May 29, 2001
25,505
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O'Neil was a turd, and Carmody had to clean up after him, so I'll always appreciate Bill.
 
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NJCat

All-Conference
Mar 7, 2016
21,327
1,502
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ColumbusCatFan1 said:
Yep.

He basically ran off his entire team and then bolted for the pros. I know many here have a strong distain for Carmody; for me it’s O’Neill. He was a miserable coach, a poor representative of the university, and an even worse person.
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Worst NU hire in history. He was a total pice of crap.
 
N

NUCat320

Senior
Dec 4, 2005
19,469
495
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ColumbusCatFan1 said:
Yep.

He basically ran off his entire team and then bolted for the pros. I know many here have a strong distain for Carmody; for me it’s O’Neill. He was a miserable coach, a poor representative of the university, and an even worse person.
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Nobody has disdain for Carmody, I hope.
Everybody has disdain for O’Neill, I also hope.
 
N

NUera

Redshirt
May 29, 2001
6,387
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ColumbusCatFan1 said:
He basically ran off his entire team and then bolted for the pros.
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Ben Johnson could have been a great one for us. But I’ll say this, thanks to KO, there were some amazing after hours pick-up games at Blomquist for a time.
 
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NJCat

All-Conference
Mar 7, 2016
21,327
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113
NUera said:
Ben Johnson could have been a great one for us. But I’ll say this, thanks to KO, there were some amazing after hours pick-up games at Blomquist for a time.
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I still have road rash scars from that goofy surface at Blomquist........
 
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Catreporter

Senior
Sep 4, 2007
4,957
437
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DaCat said:
His dad says Brooks is 6-7 now. That's great news. And he sees Northwestern's lack of success as a good challenge. Maybe if Collins survives this season, Barnhizer will be a career saver for him.
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No chance that Collins doesn't "survive" this season.
 
7

7th Cir. Cat

Redshirt
Jul 25, 2006
2,171
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Catreporter said:
No chance that Collins doesn't "survive" this season.
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Serious question. If NU doesn't win another game this year and we finish on a 17 game losing streak (unlikely but we will be underdogs in every game left on the schedule except Nebraska). You really think that the administration doesn't even "think" about making a change? A 17 game losing streak??? That would be insane.
 
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NUCat320

Senior
Dec 4, 2005
19,469
495
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7th Cir. Cat said:
Serious question. If NU doesn't win another game this year and we finish on a 17 game losing streak (unlikely but we will be underdogs in every game left on the schedule except Nebraska). You really think that the administration doesn't even "think" about making a change? A 17 game losing streak??? That would be insane.
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Recruiting has never been better!
 
N

NUCat320

Senior
Dec 4, 2005
19,469
495
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DaCat said:
His dad says Brooks is 6-7 now. That's great news. And he sees Northwestern's lack of success as a good challenge. Maybe if Collins survives this season, Barnhizer will be a career saver for him.
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Thanks for sharing, @Kelly_32.

Barnhizer hype feels a lot like Shurna hype, and I’m really happy he’s signed (and not just committed). Shurna hype is the good kind of hype. This might be the best senior season by a Cats recruit since McIntosh, especially if it turns into a deep playoff run.

There’s a lot to like — growing taller, coach’s son, hype, looks thicker than his reported weight, etc., etc.

That said, the two recent guys he’s compared to in the article certainly don’t rubber stamp him with the ‘star’ label. Phinisee is the same player as a junior as he was as a freshman, which is to say, fine. And Barrett appears to be redshirting at Purdue.

But, I sure like what I’m reading. Sounds like potential to be a great Wildcat.
 
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jindy

Redshirt
Oct 17, 2007
15
0
0
NUCat320 said:
Thanks for sharing, @Kelly_32.

Barnhizer hype feels a lot like Shurna hype, and I’m really happy he’s signed (and not just committed). Shurna hype is the good kind of hype. This might be the best senior season by a Cats recruit since McIntosh, especially if it turns into a deep playoff run.

There’s a lot to like — growing taller, coach’s son, hype, looks thicker than his reported weight, etc., etc.

That said, the two recent guys he’s compared to in the article certainly don’t rubber stamp him with the ‘star’ label. Phinisee is the same player as a junior as he was as a freshman, which is to say, fine. And Barrett appears to be redshirting at Purdue.

But, I sure like what I’m reading. Sounds like potential to be a great Wildcat.
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Barrett is a walk-on at Purdue, haven chosen to follow where his father played. Barnhizer should have the opportunity to be a scorer at Northwestern but he may need time to develop and get used to a big step up in competition. Though his high school plays in the largest class(4A) in Indiana they're playing more of a 3A/2A schedule. For reference their schedule strength is currently rated around 140(there are 100 4A teams) with many smaller schools playing a tougher schedule. He could be a good one, just hope your fans don't get down on him if he isn't great his first season(which happens too often at pretty much every school).
 
7

7th Cir. Cat

Redshirt
Jul 25, 2006
2,171
9
23
jindy said:
Barrett is a walk-on at Purdue, haven chosen to follow where his father played. Barnhizer should have the opportunity to be a scorer at Northwestern but he may need time to develop and get used to a big step up in competition. Though his high school plays in the largest class(4A) in Indiana they're playing more of a 3A/2A schedule. For reference their schedule strength is currently rated around 140(there are 100 4A teams) with many smaller schools playing a tougher schedule. He could be a good one, just hope your fans don't get down on him if he isn't great his first season(which happens too often at pretty much every school).
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Thanks for the insight. I agree, there are very few freshman in the BIG who can come in and make an immediate impact. If you could compare him to a recent-ish player in the BIG 10, who would it be?
 
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jindy

Redshirt
Oct 17, 2007
15
0
0
7th Cir. Cat said:
Thanks for the insight. I agree, there are very few freshman in the BIG who can come in and make an immediate impact. If you could compare him to a recent-ish player in the BIG 10, who would it be?
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Good question but I probably don't follow all Big Ten school's recruits enough to give you a bunch of names. I'm a Purdue fan so if I had to name one from their recent roster I'd say maybe Ryan Cline. He had time to develop over the years to where he had some really outstanding performances by his junior and senior seasons. Fortunately for his development he had some really good(and experienced) guys around and in front of him so he wasn't "thrown to the wolves" right away. Not trying to sound critical of Northwestern but Barnhizer may be needed on the floor before he's had time to get used to the speed and physical play of the conference. If so, hope your fans can show some patience.
 
K

Kelly_32_rivals

All-American
Dec 12, 2004
9,832
5,443
0
NUCat320 said:
Thanks for sharing, @Kelly_32.

Barnhizer hype feels a lot like Shurna hype, and I’m really happy he’s signed (and not just committed). Shurna hype is the good kind of hype. This might be the best senior season by a Cats recruit since McIntosh, especially if it turns into a deep playoff run.

There’s a lot to like — growing taller, coach’s son, hype, looks thicker than his reported weight, etc., etc.

That said, the two recent guys he’s compared to in the article certainly don’t rubber stamp him with the ‘star’ label. Phinisee is the same player as a junior as he was as a freshman, which is to say, fine. And Barrett appears to be redshirting at Purdue.

But, I sure like what I’m reading. Sounds like potential to be a great Wildcat.
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i think he’s only compared to those two guys because they are all from the Lafayette area, not because their games are similar.
 
7

7th Cir. Cat

Redshirt
Jul 25, 2006
2,171
9
23
jindy said:
Good question but I probably don't follow all Big Ten school's recruits enough to give you a bunch of names. I'm a Purdue fan so if I had to name one from their recent roster I'd say maybe Ryan Cline. He had time to develop over the years to where he had some really outstanding performances by his junior and senior seasons. Fortunately for his development he had some really good(and experienced) guys around and in front of him so he wasn't "thrown to the wolves" right away. Not trying to sound critical of Northwestern but Barnhizer may be needed on the floor before he's had time to get used to the speed and physical play of the conference. If so, hope your fans can show some patience.
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If he develops into Ryan Cline we would all be thrilled! I still remember that NCAA Tourney game against Tennessee.
 
J

jindy

Redshirt
Oct 17, 2007
15
0
0
Barnhizer is likely to have a quicker path to floor time than Cline did. Cline had Dakota Mathias in front of him, as well as Purdue having some other guards who weren't too bad(Carsen Edwards for example).
 
C

Catreporter

Senior
Sep 4, 2007
4,957
437
83
7th Cir. Cat said:
Serious question. If NU doesn't win another game this year and we finish on a 17 game losing streak (unlikely but we will be underdogs in every game left on the schedule except Nebraska). You really think that the administration doesn't even "think" about making a change? A 17 game losing streak??? That would be insane.
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We don't even have a new Athletic Director yet and it's still a young team in an unusual COVID season and he has good recruits coming in so I stand by my statement.
 
7

7th Cir. Cat

Redshirt
Jul 25, 2006
2,171
9
23
Catreporter said:
We don't even have a new Athletic Director yet and it's still a young team in an unusual COVID season and he has good recruits coming in so I stand by my statement.
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Sigh . . . Collins has job security that is only rivaled by autocratic dictators. He doesn't even have to win any games! Good for him, I'm jealous.
 
K

Kelly_32_rivals

All-American
Dec 12, 2004
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Barnhizer’s high school career ended last night with a 50-49 loss to Carmel in the regional final. He posted 27 points and nine rebounds in his final high school game.
 
R

Rebel_

Redshirt
Dec 20, 2001
847
0
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Kelly_32 said:
Barnhizer’s high school career ended last night with a 50-49 loss to Carmel in the regional final. He posted 27 points and nine rebounds in his final high school game.
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Two very good teams. He played very well.
 
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