Northwestern, which still has three scholarships available for the 2019-20 season, is hosting a player it hopes will fill one of those slots for an official visit this week.
Kareem South, a graduate transfer from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, will be in Evanston from Monday to Wednesday on an official visit. The 6-foot-2 guard will be eligible to play immediately for the Wildcats and will have one year of eligibility remaining.
South told WildcatReport that he will choose between Northwestern and Cal, which he has previously visited. He says that he is looking for "a place where I can help the team right away and have the most success."
Northwestern should be able to offer a chance to play immediately, as the Wildcats at this point have just 10 players on their roster after losing four players to graduation (Vic Law, Dererk Pardon, Ryan Taylor and walkon Charlie Hall) and three more as graduate transfers (Jordan Ash, Barrett Benson and Aaron Falzon).
In June, they will welcome three incoming Class of 2019 freshmen (Robbie Beran, Boo Buie and Jared Jones). One additional scholarship will go to William & Mary transfer Chase Audige, who is not eligible to play next season due to NCAA transfer rules, but that still leaves them with three spots to fill for the upcoming year.
At guard, the Wildcats lost Taylor, a starter, and Ash, a backup, leaving just Ryan Greer, Anthony Gaines and walkon Tino Malnati on the depth chart. Buie, a 6-foot-2 guard, will arrive in June to bolster the backcourt, but South figures to get ample playing time should he wind up in purple.
A self-described "combo guard" who can play either point or shooting guard, South led TAMU-CC in scoring last season, averaging 13.8 points per game. He also contributed 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game for the Islanders, who finished 14-18 (9-9 Southland Conference) last season.
The Toronto native shot 41.3% from the floor and 36.7% on three-pointers last season. Just over 37% of South's shots were from beyond the arc, as he was the Islanders' best shooter and top scorer from deep. He also led the team in minutes (32.7 per game) and steals (40).
South's best game came against Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 20, when he scored 29 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to lead all players in both categories.
For his career, South averaged 10.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game for TAMU-CC. He played in just five games as a true freshman before missing the remainder of the season due to an injury, which is why he still has one year of eligibility left.
An aspiring orthopedic surgeon, South says that academics will play a big role in his decision. He majored in Biomedical Sciences at TAMU-CC.
"Academically, my focus for next year is to work towards my Master's degree and have that completed," he said. "I will gain some insight on the program I can get into and make my decision based off that."
