It's interesting how things sometimes work out in recruiting.
Northwestern was thought to be in the mix for Justin Pierce, a grad transfer from William & Mary who grew up in Chicago and whose father played football for the Wildcats. Pierce wound up at North Carolina, while the Wildcats last week landed transfer Chase Audige from the same program.
And Audige, unlike Pierce, has three years of eligibility left, instead of just one.
Audige, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, seems to be an ideal fit for the Wildcats. David Johnson, who covers William & Mary for the Newport News, Va., Daily Press, says that Audige is a strong defender who has "outstanding athleticism", and he believes that the transferring freshman is one of those players who has the ability to make the big jump from the Colonial Athletic Association to the Big Ten.
"Watching Audige last year, I thought William & Mary got a big steal with him. He has the talent on both ends of the floor to play in the Big Ten," said Johnson.
Audige was the Tribe's co-defensive MVP last season after leading the team with 44 steals. He was also named to the CAA all-rookie team after averaging 9.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
What's more, Audige was at his best in CAA play. He primarily came off the bench in non-conference games but ended up starting 17 of 18 league games. He averaged 11 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in those CAA contests while shooting 40.3 percent on 3-pointers. He scored in double figures in 13 of his 20 starts overall.
"He was probably the Tribe’s best defender, something (former W&M coach) Tony Shaver predicted in the preseason," said Johnson. "He evolved into a consistent scorer."
Audige's best game came in a 93-88 loss to UNC-Wilmington on Jan. 24, when he co-led the team in scoring with 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting. He also had five rebounds and five assists in 38 minutes.
Johnson says that Audige, who grew up on Long Island and attended Pottstown (Pa.) The Hill School as a prep, is a "decent" 3-point shooter, but the best part of his game is his defense.
"His defense also sets up a lot of his offense... He has outstanding athleticism and is a solid rebounder."
Of course, Audige's amassed all of those statistics in the CAA, a one-bid league that's a far cry from the Big Ten, which put eight teams in the NCAA Tournament field last March. Northwestern fans saw first-hand big a leap that can be for a player this season, when grad transfer Ryan Taylor went from 21.3 points per game at Evansville in the Missouri Valley Conference to just 9.8 in the Big Ten with the Wildcats.
Johnson calls going form the CAA to the Big Ten a "humongous jump," but he thinks that Audige is the type of player who can make it, especially because Audige will "have a year to get prepared."
Audige will have to sit out the 2019-20 season, per NCAA transfer rules, though a source told WildcatReport that Northwestern will explore getting a waiver that would allow him to play right away.
Regardless, Wildcat coaches like what they see when they envision Audige and new 2020 commitment Joe Bamisile forming a long, explosive and athletic backcourt for Northwestern in 2020-21.
