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basketball Edit

Cats sign historic 2018 class

Northwestern officially signed on Wednesday what is beyond a reasonable doubt the greatest recruiting class in school history.

The four-member class, ranked 17th in the nation by Rivals, is certainly the highest rated Wildcat class of the Rivals era. And, given NU's mostly dismal basketball history, it's pretty safe to call it the best group the program has ever assembled.

If Michigan had the Fab Five, this is Northwestern's Fantastic Four.

Three of the four signees are four-star prospects ranked in the Rivals150, while two of them are among the top 100 prospects in the nation. Put it this way: the lowest-ranked player in the quartet is a three-star big man who chose NU over Maryland.

"We're really excited about this class of four young men who are joining the Northwestern family," head coach Chris Collins said in a statement. "We knew this would be a vital class for the future of our program, as we have a veteran team this year. We're adding four tremendous players, but also individuals who are going to add to the work ethic and the character that we've been able to build over the last few years."

Here are the bios from NUSports.com for each of the new Wildcats.


Miller Kopp

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High School: No. 98 recruit in the nation according to Rivals.com and No. 100 according to both 247Sports and ESPN.com … Four-star recruit … Averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds per game junior year … All-Southwest Preparatory Conference selection … Two-time team MVP and team captain … Holds school records for points (44) and rebounds (19) in a game … Competed on AAU circuit for Houston Defenders … Under Armour first-team All-American … Led UAA in scoring with an average of 20.2 points per game … Previously played on Adidas circuit with Basketball University for three years … Honor roll student … Academic all-state.

Personal: Born Miller Dudley Kopp on 11/24/98 … Son of Will and Deborah Kopp … Father played tennis collegiately at Chattanooga … Brother, Braden, plays football at Vanderbilt … Grandfather played college football … Chose Northwestern over Michigan, Vanderbilt, Georgetown, Texas A&M and Butler.

Collins on Kopp: "Miller is a dynamic wing scorer. He's a tough competitor. He has continued to improve as his high school career has gone on. We always have valued guys here who continue to get better. He is a tremendous worker. He has great size and will fall into the same mold of big wings that we have had here over the last few years like Scottie Lindsey and Vic Law.


Jordan Lathon

High School: Rated as the No. 119 recruit in the nation according to Rivals.com … Suburban Blue Conference Player of the Year as a junior, averaging 16.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game … Two-time first-team all-conference … Jackson County Advocate Player of the Year and first-team pick … Kansas City All-Metro first-team selection … Named to MSHSAA District 12 and Class 4 first team … All-tournament team selection at William Jewel Classic and Blue Valley Invitational … Shawnee Mission Classic Most Outstanding Player … Named team Best Offensive Player and Franklin Foreman Leadership Award recipient … Posted 34 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists vs. Ruskin … Led team Grandview to a 24-5 record and conference, district and sectional titles … Only player in school history to record 400 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists in a season … Competed on AAU circuit for Team Rush … Honor roll student.

Personal: Born Jordan Ryan Lathon on 2/25/00 … Son of Torran Sayles and Derrick Lathon … Father played professionally in Mexico … Chose Northwestern over Illinois, Iowa State, Wake Forest, Butler and Colorado … Attends same high school as current Utah Jazz player Alec Burks.

Collins on Lathon: "Jordan is a big, athletic point guard. He has great leadership skills. He is someone who has continued to get better year in and year out which is something that we really value here. He's got tremendous upside. His speed and quickness, his ability to run a team were things that were very attractive to us in our program."


Pete Nance

High School: Rated No. 61 recruit in the nation by Rivals.com, No. 75 by 247Sports and No. 76 by ESPN.com … Four-star recruit … First team all-district … First-team All-Suburban League … Special mention all-state … Varsity letter winner three years at Revere … Team captain … Averaged 17 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks per game as a junior … Multi-tournament winner with AAU team Akron Bobcats.

Personal: Born Pete Lucas Nance on 2/19/00 … Son of Larry and Jaynee Nance … Father played 13 seasons in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers … Brother, Larry Jr., drafted 27th overall to the Los Angeles Lakers and is playing in the NBA for his third season … Competed against Northwestern recruit Miller Kopp … Chose Northwestern over Ohio State and Michigan.

Collins on Nance: "Pete is a very dynamic player. He's 6-foot-9 and is long and athletic. He has been around the game of basketball his entire life. Pete brings a complete skill set. He can play inside and out, he has tremendous ball skills and can shoot, pass and handle the ball with speed and athleticism. I really believe that he has a terrific upside in our program."


Ryan Young

High School: First-team all-conference and second-team all-state junior year … Averaged 14 points, 14 rebounds per game as a junior. … Team captain … 2017 District Champions with Bethlehem Catholic … Captured six tournament championships with Jersey Shore Warriors … Voted 2017 Hoop Group Spring Jam Fest MVP (17U) … Earned high academic honors and was president of Business Club … Also competed in golf, volleyball, football and lacrosse.

Personal: Born Ryan Patrick Young on 12/2/99 in Montreal, Quebec … Son of Patrick and Tammy Young … Father was a member of the crew team at Syracuse … Mother played volleyball at Syracuse … Canadian and American dual citizen … Chose Northwestern over Maryland, Richmond, Princeton and Columbia.

Collins on Young: "Ryan is an emerging big man. He's a very skilled player for someone who is 6-foot-10. He can pass and shoot and has a great IQ for the game. He's someone who has really exploded onto the scene from where he was a year ago. His potential to keep improving is terrific with our player development program.”


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