Cats rolling out the purple carpet for two Rivals150 visitors
Northwestern is rolling out the red, er, purple carpet today for a pair of high-profile 2018 visitors. And they better keep that carpet handy because a couple more big-time targets will be on hand next week.
Three-star, Rivals150 prospects Talen Horton-Tucker and Jordan Lathon are both in Evanston today to check out the campus. Horton-Tucker, a 6-foot-5 wing from Chicago (Ill.) Simeon is on an unofficial visit; Lathon, a 6-foot-4 point guard from Grandview (Mo.) is on his official visit and will stay through Thursday.
Lathon, the No. 128 player in the nation, told WildcatReport last week that he narrowed down his offer list to a top three of Illinois, Iowa State and Northwestern, with Wake Forest just behind them. He took an official visit to Iowa State last Thursday through Saturday. An adept scorer and distributor, Northwestern sees Lathon as a potential replacement for senior star Bryant McIntosh.
Horton-Tucker, the No. 115 player in the nation, will be on campus just one day. He is kicking off a visit tour that will also include Illinois on Wednesday, Saint Louis on Friday, and Purdue, Ohio State and Xavier next Monday, Wednesday and Friday, respectively. Horton-Tucker, who is close friends with Wildcat assistant Pat Baldwin and his son, Patrick Baldwin Jr., says that Northwestern is one of the schools recruiting him the hardest.
Northwestern will host a similar Two-for-Tuesday next week, when Top 50 2018 prospects Ayo Dosunmu and Pete Nance visit.
Dosunmu, a 6-foot-4, four-star point guard from Chicago Morgan Park, is the No. 29 player in the nation and has consistently listed Northwestern as one of his favorites. He is visiting Illinois today and just picked up an offer from Kansas last week.
Nance, a 6-foot-8, four-star forward from Akron (Ohio) Rever, is ranked 39th in the country. He is down to an all-Big Ten final three of Northwestern, Michigan and Ohio State. Nance will be on his official visit in Evanston, meaning Northwestern will pick up the tab for his three-day stay. He also has an official scheduled for Michigan.
After the dust settles from this pair of doubleheaders, there is one more official visit already on the docket: three-star Miller Kopp, a 6-foot-7 forward from Houston (Texas) Christian, will be in Evanston for his official visit on Sept. 15-17. He has the Wildcats in a top five that also includes Houston, Kansas State, Vanderbilt and Wichita State.