Northwestern 'good fit' for Fruendt

May 13, 2007

Nick Fruendt celebrated one of the biggest days of his life like a normal high school junior -- having a great time at Batavia's prom Saturday night.

Earlier in the day, Fruendt made his long-awaited college decision. The Batavia junior committed to Northwestern, picking the Wildcats over DePaul, Dayton, Bradley, Xavier, St. Louis and Southern Illinois.

Fruendt called Northwestern coach Bill Carmody Saturday and let him know his decision.

"I'm in," Fruendt said.

The 6-foot-5 Fruendt visited the Evanston campus Friday and met with the coaching staff. The Wildcats had offered him a scholarship Monday.

"It's a really good fit and a really good opportunity for him," Fruendt's father Joel said.

While he was meeting with the coaching staff, Fruendt's AAU roommate John Shurna called the Wildcats coaches to commit. Shurna is a 6-8 junior who led Glenbard West to the Sweet 16 this year.

The Northwestern staff told Fruendt they like what he can do and that he can be a great fit in their Princeton offense. Fruendt originally had wanted to wait longer to make his college choice, but after talking it over with his family Saturday morning, called Carmody before leaving for the prom.

Fruendt, averaged 21.2 points and 8 rebounds a game last year. He has 1,470 career points.

Batavia's basketball program has produced its share of Division I players through the years, from Dan Issel at Kentucky to Corey Williams at Arizona.

Fruendt, a three-star prospect according to Rivals.com, is the latest.

"It's been a great day for him," Joel Fruendt said. "He's happy to have the decision made."

Close to home. An education that can be matched by very few, if any, schools. A chance to play in the Big Ten. A coach he feels comfortable with.

Grandma and grandpa, along with the rest of Fruendt's family, will have no trouble seeing their favorite player in action.

"We think it's a really good situation," Joel Fruendt said of his son, who will major in either business or pre-med. "Great academics, playing in the Big Ten and with the potential to get a lot better. They've got a great staff."

Two of his teammates at Northwestern will be Mike Cappoci, from Glenbard East, and Jeff Ryan, who went to Glenbrook South.

Fruendt squared off against both of them during his sophomore season at Batavia and delivered each time. During the Elgin Holiday Classic, Fruendt scored 31 points to Ryan's 10. Against Glenbard East in the East Aurora sectional, Fruendt outscored Cappoci 27-8.

Playing basketball for Batavia, Fruendt doesn't know much other than winning. The Bulldogs are 50-5 the last two years.

He's going to about the opposite end of the spectrum at Northwestern.

The Wildcats' last winning season was in 2001-02, when they went 16-13.

They are the only major-conference school never to make the NCAA tournament. They have three NIT appearances in 1983, 1994, 1999, and just three winning seasons since 1983.

Northwestern hasn't finished above .500 in the Big Ten since 1967-68, when they went 8-6 and took fourth. The Cats went 13-18 this past year.

Now it's up to Fruendt and his good friend Shurna to help turn it around.

"Once we sat down with the coaching staff last night, and they were talking about what Nick can do for them, there's just a lot of positives," Joel Fruendt said. "The coaching staff wants John (Shurna) and Nick to help them get better players. It's been a really good weekend for them recruiting wise.

"It's just a really good fit."