When Chris Collins recruited Vic Law out of high school, the head coach told the forward two things. He was going to make the NCAA Tournament, and then Law was going to become a professional basketball player.

The first promise came true in 2017. Then, on Saturday, the second one came true — along with some history: Law became the first player in the Collins era at Northwestern to sign an NBA contract.

The Orlando Magic signed Law to a two-way deal, giving the former Wildcats forward a guaranteed NBA contract and the chance to get minutes on a playoff team.

“It was exciting to know that the hard work was paying off and that I’m inching a little closer to the ultimate dream,” Law told the Daily. “Piece-by-piece, it’s all come together. Now it feels like I’m hitting a groove and playing consistently.”

Law finished his college career in 2019 with 1,442 points and 711 rebounds, which are some of the best marks in the Wildcats’ history. But even though Law was a proven scorer and All-Big Ten defender in college, he went undrafted by the NBA in June and barely played in the 2019 NBA Summer League for Orlando.

The Magic still liked enough of what they saw to invite Law to the team’s preseason training camp. When that worked out well, Law was offered a chance to join the Magic’s G League team, and Law averaged 18.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3 assists per game for the minor league Lakeland Magic this season.

Law started to receive more NBA attention in December, and the Magic offered Law a two-way contract to guarantee that Law wouldn’t get picked up by another team. Law said his experience with the Cats made the transition to professional basketball quicker than he expected.

“Northwestern, through all the ups and downs, provided me with a sense of maturity,” Law said. “Coach Collins’ NBA style of offense was good for me to really adapt to all the different coverages and play calls in the NBA. Then eventually I got more comfortable with the Magic’s system and the speed of the game.”

Before signing the two-way contract, Law was likely making around the base G League salary of $35,000. Now Law will receive a guaranteed salary of $80,000 –– more than a 125 percent raise. The Magic are able to send Law back and forth between the NBA and the G League as much as the team wants, but Law can make more than $300,000 if he spends the rest of the year in the NBA.

Law remained in the G League after signing the two-way contract Saturday, and said he wasn’t sure how much time he’d spend in the NBA the rest of the season. He’s said he’s anticipating getting a call from his agent telling him to get to Orlando.

Even though Law is still in the G League, Collins said the signing is a big moment for NU. The Cats have only had two players make it to the NBA this century, and Collins said he was proud to see one of his former players get an opportunity.

“It’s great for our program as well because guys want a chance to play at the next level,” Collins said. “And now we have a great example of a local guy who chose to stay home and come here, make the NCAA Tournament, and now he’s playing in the NBA.”

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Twitter: @2021_charlie