The Northwestern Wildcats achieved their third straight victory in Big Ten Conference action yesterday by a resounding margin of 60-39. Coming off big wins against Iowa and Minnesota, the Cats kept it going thanks to Coach Chris Collins’ 2014 recruiting class.
Headlined by PG Bryant McIntosh and F Vic Law, a third member of NU’s freshman class has quietly produced nice numbers and has gained the confidence of Coach Collins…that would be Scottie Lindsey.
Editor’s note: this Scottie Lindsey feature article authored by new Sports Bank contributor Wes Evans.
Lindsey is a local product. He hails from Oak Park, IL, just 20 miles from Northwestern. Scottie Lindsey decided to commit to NU after receiving strong interest from Iowa, Nevada and Vanderbilt. The fourth recruit in Coach Collins’ first draft class, Lindsey has seen his playing time increase steadily since Northwestern’s season opener against Houston Baptist; when he played only 8 minutes.
Coach Collins’ confidence in Lindsey has grown over the past month as he has started Lindsey 7 times in the last 9 games, with Law coming off the bench. During those 7 games, Scottie Lindsey is averaging 17+ minutes, 7 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal.
“I love his (Lindsey) athleticism, his length and he can really shoot the ball… he is a scorer and he has a scorers’ mentality. When I recruited him, I thought he could be one of those ‘under the radar guys’ who could become an elite player,” Coach Collins said after the PSU win when asked about the decision to start Scottie Lindsey.
Lindsey’s efforts and playing time were minimized against Penn State due to a hip injury that the coaching staff doesn’t believe to be serious. Lindsey only played 10 minutes because of the injury but will look to regain his playing time against Indiana on Wednesday.
Lindsey’s best all-around performance so far this season came against the Iowa Hawkeyes, where he filled the stat sheet with 7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assist, 1 steal and a career high in block with 3. The Northwestern faithful are depending on games from Lindsey like Iowa if the Cats are going to be relevant in the Big Ten in the upcoming years.
He has the potential to become a complete 2 guard for the Cats considering his defensive aggressiveness and shooting prowess. It will be interesting to see how Coach Collins rotates Lindsey, Law and Lumpkin in the upcoming weeks. No matter how the 2014-15 season plays out for the Cats (they’re below .500 at 13-14 overall, just 4-10 in the league) if players like Scottie Lindsey keep committing to NU, the future is bright in Evanston.