:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/41837240/20140815_jla_bb6_140.jpg.0.jpg)
Somewhat derisively, I recently reminded a few of my peers here at Big Ten Powerhouse that Chris Collins was not mired in a rebuilding job - Northwestern hasn't had much to celebrate in their basketball history after all - he is in the position of truly building a program at Northwestern. As the only power conference program that has never reached the NCAA tournament, the task facing Chris Collins when he arrived in Evanston was a daunting one. And it still is. But today the future looks a bit rosier with the commitment of Aaron Falzon.
Aaron Falzon, ranked 117th in 247 Sports' composite rankings for the class of 2015, is a big power forward with range that extends well beyond the three-point line. Like most players ranked within the top 150, Aaron earned plenty of attention - the Massachusetts sharpshooter received offers from Purdue, Illinois, Harvard, Marquette, Rutgers, and many others. While he isn't nearly as athletic as Chris Collins' first 4* recruit at Northwestern, Victor Law, Falzon's skills will help draw the defense from the lane to the perimeter which will create driving lanes for Law and his other teammates. And Falzon is also a capable enough dribbler to create drives of his own by utilizing the shot fake. Below, you can see highlights of Falzon from his junior HS season. The rare dribble moves look smooth and he is known for his sweet shooting touch though he doesn't look to have much explosiveness and largely plays under the rim at this point in his career.
Aaron Falzon is an exciting prospect for the Wildcats because his skill level is already so high and he can do so many things with the basketball entering the program. Mostly Collins will need to focus on transforming Falzon's body into one that can readily carve out space and fight for rebounds in what will surely be a rugged Big Ten in Falzon's freshman season. Still, it has to be encouraging for both Chris Collins and the Northwestern faithful to see Collins bringing in a player of this caliber to put next to Vic Law. If the two of them end up working well on the court together, they could potentially take Northwestern to its first NCAA tournament. Probably as upperclassmen if at all, sure, but better late than never.