All-Time Northwestern Wildcats Basketball Roster

His clutch genes were even more important, with the two-time All-Big Ten selection leading the program to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances (2023, 2024). For this and finishing his Wildcats career as the school’s all-time leader in scoring with 2,187 points, Buie deserves a standing ovation.

Shooting Guards

Jim Burns

Jim Burns (1964-1967) stayed home with the Wildcats after being an all-state player in high school. The eventual lawmaker had quite a strong run for Northwestern in the mid-60s. At 6-foot-4, he scored 17 or more points in each of his three seasons, capturing an All-Big Ten selection in 1966-67. In fact, he was named an All-American and an Academic All-American in 1967 as well.

As evidenced by his career path, the former fourth-round NBA Draft pick certainly had the brains and the scoring ability, as he was the primary scorer during his three seasons in Evanston.

Drew Crawford

Players that spend five seasons in college and manage to average 10 points or more in each season are gems. Drew Crawford (2009-14) was once such a player for the Wildcats. His freshman campaign saw him bring home some major accolades. Not only was he named All-Freshman in the Big Ten in 2009-10, but he was also the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He finished his career with 1,920 points in 143 games (142 starts).

He certainly meant a lot to the Northwestern program.

Brooks Barnhizer

Brooks Barnhizer (2021-2025) brought plenty of hustle and toughness during his Northwestern career. He could score the ball, but he was also stout on the defensive end of the floor. Perhaps even more impressively, after receiving minimal opportunity as a freshman, Brooks grew into a very reliable player. His development culminated in All-Big Ten and All-Big Ten Defensive Team honors in 2023-24.

Unfortunately, a leg injury derailed Barnhizer’s promising senior season. However, he’s now the first Wildcats player to be drafted since 1999, and the newest member of the NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder. His famous mustache won’t soon be forgotten.

Small Forwards

Joe Reiff

A key leader in both of the Wildcats’ Big Ten championships, Joe Reiff (1930-1933) was arguably the most important player to ever suit up for Northwestern. Funny enough, it was early enough in basketball that Reiff played in the frontcourt despite being 6-foot-3. Joe finished second to Purdue’s John Wooden in scoring in the Big Ten as a junior in 1931-32. He was also a two-time Consensus All-American.

Otto Graham

Likely more known for football, Otto Graham (1941-1944) also starred on the basketball court while at Northwestern. In fact, he was on a basketball scholarship before he started playing football as a sophomore. Graham didn’t let his football career get in the way of excelling on the court though, as he was a two-time Consensus All-American.

Now enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he was truly a multi-sport star.

Vic Law

Injuries had Vic Law (2014-2019) pretty limited early in his career. However, after missing the entire 2015-16 season, Law was ready to pitch in. In each of the next three seasons, he averaged at least 12 points and five rebounds per game. The season that Northwestern reached its first-ever NCAA Tournament (2016-17), he was also named to the All-Big Ten Defensive Team. By the end of his Wildcats career, the 6-foot-7 and 220-pound forward racked up 1,442 points and 710 rebounds.

Nick Martinelli

Nick Martinelli is still playing for the Wildcats, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t belong on this Northwestern roster. Rated as the seventh-best player in Illinois coming out of high school, he’s proven to be a legit scorer. After two rather inconsequential seasons, the rising senior averaged a conference-high 20.5 points per game in 2024-25. That performance led to an All-Big Ten selection this past season.

Martinelli is bound to take it to another level during his final season in Evanston.

Power Forwards

Joe Ruklick

In fact, Rublick has the ninth-highest rebound average (13.2) in Big Ten history.

Shon Morris

After averaging under seven points as a freshman, Shon Morris (1984-1988) more than doubled his scoring average as a sophomore, averaging 16.0 points per game. Using his 6-foot-10 frame, he was able to be a star for Northwestern at a time when there wasn’t any buzz around Evanston. Though he didn’t earn any accolades, he was consistently one of the conference’s best performers.

John Shurna

In a way, John Shurna (2008-2012) followed in Morris’s footsteps. Yet, Shurna eventually eclipsed Morris, leaving Northwestern as the school’s all-time leader with 2,038 points. That record has since been broken by Buie. Nevertheless, Shurna and former Michigan State stud Draymond Green were the best big men in the Big Ten in 2011-12.

Centers

Evan Eschmeyer

Evan Eschmeyer (1995-1999) spent six years in Evanston, after missing the first two with a major foot injury. That didn’t stop Eschmeyer from becoming arguably the best center in the Big Ten. A beast on the glass, the 6-foot-11, 255-pound center felt like he was just bigger than everybody else in the conference. He also helped the Wildcats reach the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 1999.

Before being selected in the second round of the 1999 NBA Draft, Eschmeyer recorded 1,805 career points and 995 career rebounds. Ending his Northwestern tenure as a three-time All-Big Ten player and second-team consensus All-American, he belongs on this roster as much as anybody else.

Alex Olah

A behemoth of a big man at 7-foot-0 and 270 pounds, Alex Olah (2012-2016) came from the same mold as Eschmeyer. A native Romanian, he used his European knowledge of basketball to carve out a solid four-year career with the Wildcats. Though not consistently a double-digit career scorer, he was skilled and willing to take shots from beyond the arc.

He was special for his rim-protection, as his size suggests. The Northwestern career block-leader, Olah swatted 181 shots during his career.

Honorable Mention

Tre Demps (2011-2016)

Scottie Lindsey (2014-2018)

Dererk Pardon (2015-2019)

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