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Is Northwestern the leader for 4-star 2018 guard Cormac Ryan?

Northwestern is swinging for the fences in going after four-star 2018 guard Cormac Ryan. And at least one recruiting experts thinks the Wildcats will hit a home run.

Rivals basketball recruiting analyst Corey Evans was in Hampton, Va., to cover the Nike EYBL tournament over the weekend and caught up with Ryan, the No. 64 player in the country. He walked away impressed with Ryan on the floor and the feeling at the versatile 6-foot-5 combo guard from Milton (Mass.) Academy would wind up a Wildcat.

“Cormac Ryan is a straight baller,” said Evans. “He is a no nonsense type of guy that can score the ball from all three levels but also create for others. He ended the night with an efficient 21 point outing, leading his New York Rens squad to a win.”

Ryan has kept his recruitment close to the vest throughout the process. He has 15 offers, including Indiana, Notre Dame, Michigan, Northwestern, Villanova, Stanford, Penn and Yale. He has visited Northwestern multiple times, and Evans, for one, thinks the Wildcats are in the driver’s seat.

“The idea of reclassing into the 2017 has been presented to him but it looks as if he will remain within the 2018 class and select Northwestern when the time presents itself,” wrote Evans.

Ryan, however, didn’t give many clues himself.

“In terms of a timetable, I wouldn’t say I have one. The schools that I visited, I really liked,” he said. “When I am confident with when I want to make a decision, I will make it.”

Ryan is the No. 1 player on Northwestern’s board for 2018. The Wildcats envision him as the heir apparent to star guard Bryant McIntosh, who plays the “lead guard” in head coach Chris Collins’ offense, playing both a point guard and scorer’s role. Ryan is a couple inches taller than McIntosh, and indications are that Collins would hand Ryan the keys to the offense when he is a true freshman in 2018-19, much like he did with McIntosh in his rookie year of 2014-15.

If Northwestern were to land Ryan he would be the highest ranked recruit of the Collins era. Of the four four-star prospects the fourth-year coach has landed so far, the highest national ranking belonged to Aaron Falzon, who was No. 92 in 2015. The others are Vic Law (2014) at 103, Rapolas Ivanauskas (2016) at 97 and Barret Benson (2016) at 118.

Also included in Evans’ story is an update on four-star 2018 point guard Ayo Dosunmu, the 30th-ranked prospect in the country. The Chicago (Ill.) Morgan Park standout has an offer from Northwestern, but Evans thinks he will eventually commit to Illinois.

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