After a busy June on the recruiting front, Northwestern suddenly hit a dry spell in July. August is here, school is about to start, and now it is time for Northwestern to add its next recruit to the 2018 class.
Before we look at updates on who the targets are, here are few updates on players that were on Northwestern’s radar.
Ayo Dosunmo Cuts Northwestern in Top 11
I told em I was coming they thought I was bluffing!! #Top11 S/o @JKachEdits pic.twitter.com/vR5LizPJlc
— Ayo (I•Yo) (@AyoDos_11) August 10, 2017
This news shouldn’t come to a surprise to most Northwestern fans. Dosunmu was considering Northwestern, but after Jordan Lathon verbally committed to Northwestern, Dosunmu changed his focus. During this time, numerous offers have also rolled in for the senior guard.
Dosunmu will now choose between Kansas, Wake Forest, Creighton, North Carolina State, Memphis, Oklahoma State, UConn, USC, New Mexico, Xavier, and Illinois.
It is interesting to note that Illinois is the only Big Ten school to make his list. Ohio State offered like Northwestern did, and Wisconsin had Dosunmo on their recruiting radar.
On 24/7 Sports crystal ball, every expert has him going to Illinois.
Scholarship Update
With two scholarships filled, Northwestern now has two scholarships remaining. Ideally, with a guard and power forward committed, adding another back-court piece and a front-court prospect would be helpful.
Following this season, the ‘Cats will lose Scottie Lindsey, Bryant McIntosh, and Gavin Skelly to graduation. Hopefully, with so much firepower leaving next year, the program can restock on some scorers to go along with junior wing Vic Law.
Options for Scholarships
Northwestern has seven offers currently extended to players at every position besides point guard. Here is the breakdown:
Shooting Guard:
David Duke
Landers Nolley II
Saddiq Bey
Miller Kopp
Small Forward:
Talen Horton-Tucker
Power Forward :
Ryan Young
Center :
Lukas Kisunas
Of these options, Talen Horton-Tucker and Miller Kopp are definitely highest on their wish list.
Talen Horton-Tucker
Tucker is a local product out of Simeon High School in Chicago. However, he is not currently ranked by ESPN, Scout, or Rivals.
247 Sports does have him listed as a four-star small forward.
He has 19 offers that have been extended to him, including Michigan State, Illinois, Minnesota, and Purdue. The latest offer he received is from Kansas.
As you can see from his highlight reel, he’s a perfect fit for Northwestern. He has the ability to get to the rim, he’s excellent in transition, and he can shoot from deep.
Northwestern is competing for an in-state prospect that also has received a lot of interest from Illinois. Horton-Tucker is friends with Jordan Lathon and Dosunmo. Lathon said when he committed to Northwestern that he would try his best to convince Horton-Tucker to attend Northwestern. However, Dosunmu’s decision could also affect where he chooses to go.
Since Dosunmu is believed to choose Illinois, and Horton-Tucker and Dosunmu aren’t expected to go to the same school, Northwestern has a legit chance to snag him. After all, Michael O’Brien of the Chicago Sun-Times said Horton-Tucker would likely pick a school close to home.
Hearing that Simeon 2018 Talen Horton-Tucker could commit in August and it is likely he stays relatively close to home.
— Michael O'Brien (@michaelsobrien) July 6, 2017
Miller Kopp
Kopp is a shooting guard from Houston, Texas. He is currently not ranked by ESPN, Scout or Rivals. But, like Horton-Tucker, 247 Sports also has him listed as a four-star prospect.
In addition to several mid-major programs, Kopp has received offers from Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Butler, and Georgetown.
Kopp would be an excellent addition to Lathon in the backcourt and could help Northwestern for years to come. As seen from the highlights below, he can get to the rim, but he’s also a catch-and-shoot player, which is important to have going forward.