Welsh-Ryan Arena is starting to feel like Ellis Island in the best sense possible — a hands-that-built-America sort of way.
The Wildcats have welcomed yet another addition to the melting pot of players from other prominent college hoops programs. And in doing so the stage has been set for a trio of transfers to play significant roles in leading the Northwestern program to a purple-hoops version of the American Dream — a first NCAA tourney invite, due in Evanston in March 2006.
Bernard Cote, a versatile big man with a shooter’s touch who spent two years as a back up at Kentucky, chose NU over Iowa and Kent State earlier this week. He became the third transfer from a blue-chip program to land at NU in 15 months.
His decision, first reported in the Lexington Herald-Leader, came down to a lack of playing time at Kentucky, where he averaged fewer than six minutes per game in both his freshman and sophomore seasons.
“He wanted to go somewhere where he could contribute to the team more directly,” said NU junior guard Mohamed Hachad, who was Cote’s teammate for two years at Champlain-St. Lambert High School in Quebec. “He’ll fit into our offense perfectly. He’s smart and responsible. He’s a great teammate. I love that guy.”
Cote, who along with Hachad speaks French as his first language, will add a third dimension to NU’s established “French Connection,” featuring Hachad and his backcourt mate T.J. Parker, a junior point guard who grew up in France.
In addition to his ties to the Cats through Hachad, Cote had been exposed to the NU program three years ago, when Carmody actively recruited him out of high school before Cote chose Kentucky over NU, Kansas, Illinois and Stanford among others.
After sitting out the NCAA-mandated one year, he’ll help fill in exactly where NU is lacking.
“Everyone knows we need size,” Hachad said. “Hopefully he can grab a lot of boards and body people inside.”
If Cote can grasp the Princeton Offense in his year off and earn a starting spot — and let’s be honest, anyone good enough to sit anywhere near Kentucky’s bench can start at NU — his presence will do wonders for the Cats’ 2005-06 line up.
Adding Cote (6-foot-9, 235 pounds) could help address NU’s long-standing Achilles’ Heel: super-smallness.
It could mean that NU’s frontcourt, the smallest in the Big Ten last season, might be the conference’s largest in 2005-06.
Cote joining Duke transfer Michael Thompson (6-foot-10, 245) and NU forward Vedran Vukusic (6-foot-8, 230) would form a sizable lineup at the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 positions.
At a combined 20-foot-3, 710 pounds, NU’s potential 2005-06 front line would have more bulk than all of the Big Ten starting frontcourts from 2003-04. Frontcourts in the conference averaged 19-foot-10, 672 pounds last season. Penn State had the biggest bodies at 20-foot-5, 695 pounds. NU had the smallest, with a front line sizing up at 19-foot-6, 640 pounds. The increase in bulk couldn’t hurt NU’s Big Ten-worst rebounding effort.
But control of the glass would be just another positive for a seasoned, deep NU 2005-06 squad.
Fans could be looking at a starting five of Thompson as a senior at center, Cote as a junior at power forward, Vukusic as a senior at the other forward, with Hachad and Parker as seniors in the backcourt. Ivan Tolic, Evan Seacat and St. John’s transfer Tim Doyle all could be pushing hard for minutes.
Vince Scott will have had two years to develop and with some added bulk might be a contributor by then. And this scenario isn’t even taking into account the incoming freshmen — including standout prep guards Brandon Lee and Sterling Williams, who will have had a year to develop by 2005-06.
On the greater scale, the influx of talent to NU is just another sign the program is on the rise.
The trend that was so troubling when Bill Carmody took over the head coaching job in 2000 has reversed. In the last year of former coach Kevin O’Neill’s raucous tenure and sudden departure, NU lost seven players prematurely. Now the Cats are actually taking in players. Barring any unforeseen departures or significant injuries, NU could boast 12 active scholarship players with a year of the Princeton Offense under their belt to go along with any incoming freshmen for the 2005-06 season.
In all, Cote’s arrival boils down to a simple necessity for every dedicated NU fan — keep Spring Break 2006 clear.
Or if you’re a sap and will be in the “real world” by then, make sure time off that March is a pre-condition of taking whatever job you may be considering.
It’ll be time to find Dancing tickets.
Editor in Chief Nick Collins is a Medill senior. He can be reached at [email protected].
