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CBT’s Recruiting Roundup: Northwestern and Virginia Tech add priority recruits

Chris Collins

Chris Collins

AP

Each Monday and Friday, College Basketball Talk’s Scott Phillips goes over some important news and notes in the world of college basketball recruiting. This week, Northwestern and Chris Collins land a priority recruit, Buzz Williams gets another key piece at Virginia Tech and Temple re-stocks with the 2015 class.

Northwestern lands a priority recruit

Chris Collins showed that he can get results after some big upsets in the Big Ten last season, but in order to break the school’s NCAA Tournament drought and compete in the league Collins also needs to land Big Ten-caliber players.

With the Monday commitment of 6-foot-7 stretch forward Aaron Falzon, Collins did just that. Falzon was a priority recruit for Northwestern’s staff this summer and after a strong 2014 recruiting class that featured mainly guards and wings, adding a front court player that can shoot like Falzon is a luxury for Collins.

Northwestern now has a three-man class in 2015 in Falzon, guard Jordan Ash and forward Derek Pardon. Adding Falzon will give Collins another floor spacer to go along with Bryant McIntosh, Scott Lindsey and Vic Law in the 2014 class to go along with athletic guards in Johnnie Vasser and Ash. The balance between the two classes and eight players Collins is bringing in in 2014 and 2015 is strong.

Collins has built two solid classes at Northwestern so far and if he’s able to show more of a turnaround on the floor in the 2014-15 season, the recruiting momentum could get the Wildcats involved with even more top-100 level players.

Buzz Williams gets another for Virginia Tech

Last week, Virginia Tech and Buzz Williams landed an impact forward in Kerry Blackshear and things were looking good for the new head coach. But after this weekend’s commitment of point guard Justin Robinson, Williams and his staff have to be ecstatic.

As the floor leader for Boo Williams this summer, Robinson helped lead the prominent EYBL program to a Final Four appearance in the Nike Peach Jam before another strong showing at the AAU Super Showcase in Louisville.

Simply put: Robinson makes plays for others and helps win games.

As a steady guard with the ball, Robinson gives Williams a coach on the floor in the near future and he’ll help make other players like 2014 recruit Ahmed Hill and Blackshear better.

Virginia Tech needed to add quality players to compete in a deep and talented ACC and Williams has added two quality prospects before coaching his first game at the school.

Temple re-stocks in the 2015 class

Temple faced a tough season last year. Finishing 9-22, Fran Dunphy’s squad faced injuries and a lack of depth in their first season in the AAC.

And with only one freshman entering the program in 2014 in Obi Enechionyia, the Owls needed to make a splash in the 2015 class to re-stock its roster with talent.

Levan Alston and Trey Lowe, two local guards and members of the Rivals 150 in the 2015 class, was a good start for Temple but the weekend commitment of Ernest Aflakpui gives the Owls a solid interior presence.

Three good prospects from the east coast in the fold should help stabilize Temple’s program a bit and give them some much-needed young blood in the future.

Follow @phillipshoops