Cats make the cut for 3-star lead guard Maceo Austin

Northwestern just joined Maceo Austin's offer list a couple weeks ago. Now the Wildcats find themselves in his Final Four.

The three-star lead guard prospect from Hermitage (Pa.) Kennedy Catholic and the ITPS Wildcats AAU program announced on Twitter on Wednesday that Duquesne, Northwestern, Penn State and VCU are the schools on which he will focus in his recruiting process.

Northwestern assistant Emmanuel Dildy began talking to Austin in mid-June. Head coach Chris Collins then offered the 6-foot-4, 170-pounder after seeing him average 10.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists at the adidas Gauntlet tournament in New York City on July 13-15.

Austin's play at the Gauntlet also earned praise from Northwestern basketball recruiting analyst Eric Bossi.

“(The ITPS Wildcats) have a nice well-rounded group and Austin's ability to serve as a rangy playmaker and dangerous shooter was key. He has good size, is pretty fundamentally sound and has really beefed up his off-the-dribble game over the last year," wrote Bossi.

The Wildcats see Austin in the lead guard role that Bryant McIntosh played over the last four years, becoming the school's all-time assists leader in the process.