Men’s Basketball

Northwestern has its first recruit in its 2020 class. Sunday, the Wildcats received a verbal commitment from three-star center Matt Nicholson, a Michigan native with offers from Creighton, Xavier, Toledo and others.

“Thank you to all of my family, coaches, (teammates), mentors and supporters who have helped me on my journey,” he tweeted. “Excited to start my next chapter at Northwestern University! Go Cats!”

After barely playing as a sophomore, Nicholson emerged as a standout player for one of the top teams in Michigan the following year, according to M Live. Nicholson’s high school has won 40 district championships and two state championships in its history, and former coach Dan Fife is considered one of the best high school coaches in Michigan basketball history.

Nicholson joins freshman centers Jared Jones and Ryan Young as NU’s only long term post players, and Nicholson will likely be the first of multiple 2020 recruits the program signs. With only nine scholarship players with eligibility for next year, NU will have several open scholarships to use.

The Cats received a commitment in April from four-star guard Joe Bamisile, but he flipped his decision over the summer and will attend Virginia Tech next fall.

According to 24/7 Sports, NU has made offers to three uncommitted prospects — five-star guard Caleb Love, four-star guard Adam Miller and three-star guard Ty Berry. The Cats are competing for them with blue blood programs like Kansas, Louisville and North Carolina.

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Twitter: @2021_Charlie