What Jake West and Phoenix Gill returning means for NU MBB

Mar 10, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Jake West (3) brings the ball up court against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Jake West and Phoenix Gill will be back in purple threads next season for Chris Collins, as announced via X.com in the latter part of last week. The two first-years are the only members of Northwestern’s historic 2025 recruiting class to not enter the transfer portal, with Tre Singleton, Tyler Kropp and Cade Bennerman set to take their talents elsewhere for the 2026-27 season.

Panic pounded through Northwestern basketball on April 6, with eight players entering the transfer portal just three weeks removed from the conclusion of its season. Cade Bennerman, the former three-star recruit who did not see playing time in his freshman year with the ‘Cats, was the first player to jump ship on March 20. Five days later, on March 25, sophomore guard K.J. Windham followed.

However, panic didn’t really set in for Chris Collins’ squad until April 2, when Tre Singleton, a former four-star, top 100 recruit for the Class of 2025, entered the portal. Singleton, who started 31 games for Collins as a first-year, was supposed to be one of the faces of Northwestern basketball for years to come, and without him uncertainty set in about the program’s future. The situation only worsened in the following four days, when Blake Smith, Arrinten Page, Jordan Clayton, Jayden Reid and Tyler Kropp followed suit.

By April 6, Northwestern was left with just four rostered players, none of which had officially announced their commitment to return to Evanston next season. With fellow freshmen Bennerman, Singleton and Kropp departing, grey clouds drifted over the certainty of Jake West and Phoenix Gill’s future with Northwestern.

Fortunately, good news came for the ‘Cats on April 10. West declared his return to Northwestern for his sophomore season.

West carved out a major role in Collins’ rotation over the course of the season, averaging 9.8 points and 3.6 assists per game in the final 10 games of Northwestern’s season. After announcing his return, the former three-star Mr. Pennsylvania basketball was immediately dawned as the face of Northwestern basketball in the coming season.

One day after West’s commitment to return, Gill clarified that he would be back in Evanston next season alongside him.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound first-year guard saw just 39 minutes of playing time last season for the ‘Cats. However, like West, Gill was a three-star recruit following a decorated high school career at St. Ignatius in Chicago.

West and Gill’s return is huge for Northwestern. Though, ‘Cats fans shouldn’t necessarily be excited by any overwhelming talent that exists in these rising sophomores. As mentioned above, West and Gill were both three-star recruits and even West, who, unlike Gill, saw significant playing time as a first-year, did not have an overwhelmingly amazing debut campaign, ranking fourth on Northwestern per EvanMiya.com’s Bayesian player rating statistic.

Rather, ‘Cats fans should be excited about the opportunity Collins has to work on two multi-year player development projects.

Collins has come under fire recently, but the former Krzyzewski assistant’s best skill as a head coach has always been his player development. Throughout his 13-year tenure in Evanston, Northwestern’s best players have consistently been upperclassmen players that Collins had the chance to transform over multiple years.

Brooks Barnhizer was a three-star coming out of high school and played just 11 games his first-year season. After four years under Collins, the Indiana native went on to average 17.1 points and 8.8 rebounds his senior season. Barnhizer was picked 44th by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the subsequent NBA Draft. The Barnhizer development story has become a hallmark feature of Northwestern’s basketball program under Chris Collins. Similar progressions were true for many Wildcat stars in recent history, like Boo Buie, Pete Nance, Vic Law and Derek Pardon.

So, while West and Gill weren’t necessarily star players as first-years, they still have enough baseline talent to fit the Collins development model. As sophomores, ‘Cats fans should expect both West and Gill to make sophomore year jumps, not just in a statistical sense to compensate for a potentially weak overall roster, but as overall imapct players, regardless of “stat-flation.” West should be the center of Northwestern’s offense, as one of the better point guards in the Big Ten, while Gill should begin seeing consistent rotational minutes, coming off of the bench to bring defensive energy. With Collins’ background, this level of development can be expected.

Though, even if West and Gill’s futures in Evanston have promise under the development of Collins and his staff, the reality remains that two players cannot make a team. Even after the ‘Cats’ signing of Bellarmine transfer-forward Jack Karasinski on Tuesday, Northwestern is still without enough players to fill out a starting lineup next season. Obviously, by fall of next year, the ‘Cats’ roster will be full, but the point remains that the ‘Cats are a long ways away from having a complete team that will be able to compete in the Big Ten. Until Collins begins to fill out his rotation with transfer portal additions, the future of Northwestern basketball will remain unresolved.