Northwestern standout senior guard Brooks Barnhizer will miss the rest of the season due to a foot injury that has bothered him all season.
An emotional Wildcats coach Chris Collins made the announcement shortly after host Northwestern lost 75-69 to No. 17 Wisconsin on Saturday. Barnhizer didn’t play.
Barnhizer broke his foot in August and then aggravated the injury during a loss to then-No. 16 Michigan State on Jan. 12. He played five more games but struggled badly in the final two.
“The decision was made to shut him down,” Collins said before breaking down. “So he’s not going to be with us the rest of the year. It’s the right decision. But he left it all out there.
“I’m sorry, I’m getting emotional. I love that kid. And not being able to see him get out there today, it sucks.”
Collins said Barnhizer will undergo surgery but should be able to pursue a pro career.
“I wish I could take on the broken foot so he could play 10 more games,” Collins said.
The 6-foot-6 Barnhizer averaged 17.1 points in 17 games this season. A big fan favorite, he was the team leader in rebounds (8.8), assists (4.2) and steals (2.3).
Barnhizer was a key reason why Northwestern made the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons, the first time the school has ever qualified for March Madness in consecutive campaigns.
Barnhizer scored the tying layup to force overtime in a 77-65 first-round victory over Florida Atlantic during last season’s tourney.
After aggravating the foot against the Spartans, Barnhizer followed with three consecutive 20-point performances. But then he had just three points on 1-of-7 shooting and 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting in back-to-back losses to then-No. 17 Illinois and Rutgers, respectively.
“The last two games, you guys saw, he was laboring more and more,” Collins said. “He not only wasn’t moving well, I could see it was mentally killing him.”
Collins and Barnhizer had a “heart-to-heart” after Wednesday’s game against Rutgers and the decision was made. Barnhizer’s teammates were informed on Friday.
“He gave a big speech yesterday that was absolutely phenomenal,” Northwestern center Matthew Nicholson said after the Wisconsin game. “He’s done so much for this program that we just have to honor him anyway we can. He means a lot to everybody on the team.
“It’s unfortunate how things happen. … We all understand the situation and the decision he made and that Coach made.”
Barnhizer averaged 11.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 96 career games (51 starts) for the Wildcats. He scored 1,067 points, made 85 3-pointers and had 133 steals and 62 blocks.
–Field Level Media
