ADHD is a disorder by definition, but Northwestern forward Gavin Skelly has learned to use it as a weapon.

“Because I have ADHD, once I get that engine kicking it won’t stop,” the 6-foot-8 freshman said. “I try to control myself, and once (a big play) happens, it just all lets out. It’s kind of like a fuse waiting to blow up.”

Skelly did not give the Wildcats (12-14, 3-10 Big Ten) much mileage the first 11 games of the Big Ten season. But in the last two outings, he has provided NU a huge lift off the bench.

Skelly produced 3 points, four rebounds and one block during a seven-minute stretch against Iowa. Then he contributed 3 points and three blocks in Wednesday’s win against Minnesota.

“He played eight minutes (against Minnesota), and I didn’t even realize until I watched the film how many positive plays he made in the game,” coach Chris Collins said. “Whether it was a couple of blocked shots, a couple of deflections, keeping balls alive on the offensive boards. … He’s always bopping around.”
Skelly doesn’t only bop. He’s a talker, too.

“He’s very vocal, almost goofy vocal,” said freshman point guard Bryant McIntosh, who is also Skelly’s roommate. “It’s so much energy. It’s almost like, ‘Calm down, cut it back a little bit.’”

Skelly averages just 7.6 minutes of floor time per contest, but that does not keep him from being engaged throughout.

He grabs some Gatorade gummies and lets the “sugar rush” do its work.

“I eat eight or 10 of those,” Skelly said of his pregame habits. “After games, I’m fatigued. I’m drained. I feel like I just played 40 minutes.”

The effects of his high-wattage attitude doesn’t sneak by his teammates.

“After every game, he just crashes,” McIntosh added. “He expends so much energy getting everyone excited.”

Skelly is not the main reason for NU’s recent success. One can point to a shift in defensive strategy and abnormally accurate shooting from beyond the arc.

But quality minutes from the backup big man have certainly helped put the Cats in position for their first three-game Big Ten winning streak under Collins.

NU hosts Penn State (15-12, 3-11) on Saturday as a slight favorite.

The Nittany Lions are a half-game behind the Cats in the conference standings, but they have the league’s leading scorer in D.J. Newbill, who averages 21.1 points per game.

“He’s really strong, so he has the ability to get his shot off all the time,” Collins said. “He can shoot the 3, he gets to the basket, and he’s got an excellent mid-range game. In terms of how he scores, he can score in every way.”

NU allowed a few big-time scorers, such as Maryland’s Melo Trimble and Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell, to have monster games earlier in the season. But switching to a 2-3 zone has helped contain big scorers like Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky and Minnesota’s Andre Hollins in recent contests.

The 2-3 zone has also helped keep junior center Alex Olah out of foul trouble, leading to more minutes for the starting big man.

Still, the 7-footer needs his rest. Earlier in the season, that was a problem, as Skelly and graduate transfer Jeremiah Kreisberg did not consistently produce quality bench minutes.

Skelly has not been playing a ton, with a combined 15 minutes in NU’s last two wins, but the quality of those minutes has made him a legitimate backup to Olah.

“It’s a different look,” Collins said about what Skelly brings to the team. “He can run, he’s athletic, he’s a mobile big guy. Alex has the size, but Gavin has the athleticism.”

And for now, using that different look has helped the Cats go from a 10-game losing streak to a small winning streak.

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Twitter: @Jesse_Kramer