Julian Roper is Northwestern's first 2021 commit
Northwestern is hoping that its 2021 recruiting class is a program-changer, one that eventually gets the program back to the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats took their first step toward that goal on Monday when Julian Roper became the first commitment of the class.
The three-star, Rivals150 guard from Franklin (Mich.) St. Mary's, outside of Detroit, committed to the Wildcats some time ago but announced his decision with a video on his birthday.
Roper chose Northwestern over an impressive offer list that included four Big Ten teams, plus Alabama, DePaul and Missouri, among others. But his decision really came down to picking between Northwestern and Wisconsin, his two finalists. He took official visits to each school in the fall and made the Wildcats his choice.
The 6-foot-3 Roper is primarily a shooting guard, but he can play either on or off the ball. The Wildcats are putting a premium on ballhandling and scoring in this class and feel like they got a little bit of both with Roper.
Rivals basketball recruiting expert Corey Evans likes the pickup for Northwestern. He sees an athletic slasher with a high ceiling that head coach Chris Collins will be able to develop over time.
"Has good size and length on the perimeter," said Evans, who has watched Roper play for The Family AAU squad several times. "Solid athlete that finishes at the basket and has the chance to be a versatile defender that can defend either wing spot out top. Good instincts that plays the passing lanes well and also gets his fair share of blocked shots for being a guard.
"Great potential down the road thanks to his size, length, athleticism and versatility."
Roper plays for the Indy Heat AAU squad but is a former member of The Family, a team that has supplied Northwestern with quite a few players over the years. Former Wildcats Davide Curletti, Alex Marcotullio and AJ Turner, and 2020 signee Matt Nicholson, all played for the Detroit-based program.
The Wildcats are in the hunt for a host of big-time 2021 prospects they hope to have join Roper in the future. Included among them are five-stars Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Max Christie, four-stars Tamar Bates and Tyrese Hunter, three-star Casey Simmons, and unranked Brooks Barnhizer.