Northwestern recruiting class of 2015 another gem

Jordan Ash will forgive those who have typecast him. In fact, it’s something he embraced throughout recruiting. Really, anything assumed about a guard at Westchester’s St. Joseph high school tends to all be positive.

Ash, part of Northwestern’s recruiting class of 2015, is the third in a line of Chicago-area recruits Wildcats coach Chris Collins has brought to Evanston. But having played prep basketball for famed coach Gene Pingatore, Ash already has attributes well beyond his years.

“He [Collins] talks about how he wants me to bring my intangibles as far as leadership and holding people accountable,” Ash said.

“I’m excited about it because he’s not trying to make me one position or another. He just wants me to be a guard and go out and play basketball and that’s something I wanted in a college basketball program.”

Ash is joined by Aaron Falzon, a top-100 player, and Derek Pardon who round out Collins’ second straight solid class. Each of his recruiting classes have already trumped any his predecessor brought to Evanston.

Collins has called Falzon one of the best catch-and-shoot players nationally in the class of 2015.

Pardon said he’ll look to bring physicality to the program. All three possess the type of skill-set that will allow Collins to implement a balanced offensive attack.

“Coach Collins came along and he kind of showed me his vision for the program,” Falzon said.

“They play a similar way that I play. They stretch the floor. They like to shoot the ball. The way Coach Collins likes to run his offense, they need shooters.”

For all three players, a rapid change in culture over the last year is what drew them to the program. While an a change in mentality off the court is welcomes, there’s still plenty of work to do on it.

It’s that kind of attitude–instilled by Collins and his staff–that was most appealing to all three players.

“It was the right fit for me,” Pardon said. “I feel like the coaching staff, the players, everybody fit me perfectly.

“They have great assistant coaches around Coach Collins and his resume is unbelievable. So I was just blown out by the coaching staff.”

Email: sgruen@suntimes.com

Twitter: @SethGruen