Junior small forward Brooks Barnhizer from Lafayette Jefferson high school has been having a stellar season for the Broncos, averaging 19.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, helping lead his team to an 8-1 record so far. It also seems that head coach Chris Collins from Northwestern has seen enough from the Indiana prospect that he decided to offer him.
Already holding multiple offers from July and September, Barnhizer snagged one of his biggest offers just before Christmas from the staff at Northwestern and he couldn't' have been more gracious for the opportunity.
'Honestly, my first thoughts on the program and the offer was just grateful for the opportunity,' Barnhizer told Phenom Hoops. 'Northwestern is a Top-10 academic school in the nation that is in the Big Ten, so it is the best of both worlds kind of university. The coaching staff is a great blend of coaches who all are very knowledgeable and know what they are wanting to accomplish. The staff just really acknowledged the versatility in my game and how it could help them achieve what they are setting out to do in the future.'
Barnhizer has been in communication with Coach Collins and Coach Borovich the most and he was able to take a visit to Northwestern earlier in the year. During the visit, he got a glimpse of most of the campus, the arena, and several other things as well.
Northwestern now joins schools like Western Kentucky, Butler, Ball State, Evansville, and Detroit Mercy in his recruitment, as they have been saying much of the same as Northwestern has. Barnhizer says he has developed a solid relationship with each coaching staff, as each one has an 'awesome staff and awesome opportunities.'
Barnhizer’s only other two visits so far outside of Northwestern was to Butler and Western Kentucky, both of which came back in October.
'They went really well,' he said. 'Both are really unique and have so much history that goes with them. They both showed great hospitality and gave me great experiences.'