Freshman center Cade Bennerman leaving Northwestern
Freshman big man Cade Bennerman is leaving Northwestern before ever appearing in a game for the Wildcats.
The 7-foot center, who entered the transfer portal on Friday, redshirted this season and didn’t log any minutes. He will have four years of eligibility remaining at his next destination.
Bennerman was a three-star recruit out of Nashville (Tenn.) Father Ryan last year. He was seen as a project as a player, so redshirting his freshman year didn’t come as a surprise. At just 205 pounds, he needed to add weight to compete at the Big Ten level.
Sources tell WildcatReport that this move was expected by the program. They will now have to get a big man out of the transfer portal to replace him.
Bennerman’s departure leaves Northwestern with two big men on the roster:
Junior Arrinten Page had his share of ups and downs but started 16 of the Wildcats’ 34 games and was the team’s second-leading scorer, while averaging 10.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. He showed flashes of good production and an NBA-level skill set at times, and will almost certainly be a starter next season should he decide to return to the program.
Incoming 7-foot-2 Class of 2026 signee Symon Ghai, a South Sudan native from St. Louis who played at the Academy of Central Florida this season. He is ranked as a Top 200 player and the No. 22 center in the nation.
