Around a year ago, Inside NU’s Eliav Brooks-Rubin released an excellent article making the case that Tre Singleton’s commitment to Northwestern men’s basketball would be a “harbinger of more to come” for the program.
One year and 14 days later, it’s easy to see how that reality continues to take shape.
Wildcat head coach Chris Collins is cementing his reputation as one of the most relentless recruiters in college basketball. Collins has already landed two of his top targets for 2026, securing the commitments
of two ESPN 4-stars in 6-foot-6 small forward Jayden Hodge and 7-foot-3 center Symon Ghai.
Hodge, a native of Belmar, N.J., chose the ‘Cats over Georgetown, Mississippi State, Penn State, Vanderbilt and Old Dominion, according to ESPN. As for Ghai, who attended high school in Florida but previously lived in Missouri and South Sudan, he picked NU over Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Xavier, Missouri State and Bryant, per Rivals.
Both players had a number of power conference offers. But ultimately, the Wildcats prevailed in their recruiting chase.
It’s not hard to tell why Collins is enamored with Hodge and Ghai as prospects. Hodge, like many Northwestern wings of years past, is a physical forward who can score in the lane, battle for boards and compete right away on the defensive end. With his incredible height, Ghai’s potential on both ends of the floor is obvious, but he also moves decently well for his size and possesses solid energy and endurance.
So what, specifically, should Northwestern fans expect out of the Wildcats’ new first-year duo, both in Year 1 and beyond?
Jayden Hodge Breakdown
Hodge profiles somewhat similarly to former Wildcat Brooks Barnhizer, who offered defensive and rebounding potential along with an unbelievably high motor. Neither Hodge nor Barnhizer stand out for their pure quickness, per se. However, both have the ability to make quick decisions and rotations against tough offenses, something that surely caught the attention of defensive-minded Wildcat assistant coach Chris Lowery during Hodge’s recruitment.
For Hodge, outside shooting is a weakness, as he doesn’t take a ton of threes and isn’t particularly efficient when doing so. That’s why most of the New Jersey native’s highlight tapes focus on his scoring and passing acumen. Fortunately for the ‘Cats, there’s a lot to like about Hodge’s game in that regard.
When you watch this highlight tape, the upside is obvious. Unlike many Wildcat recruits of the past, Hodge isn’t raw — in fact, he probably has the ability to step in and play significant minutes at a high level almost immediately for Northwestern. The first three clips on this tape show Hodge’s ability to finish effectively with either hand, also putting on display his elite ball-handling skills and soft touch with floaters in the paint.
The fourth clip is, in my opinion, the most impressive highlight of this 43-second video. As Hodge receives the pass from his teammate at the 23-second mark, he’s already looking crosscourt at another teammate, who’s still standing on the perimeter and has yet to make his move to the basket.
Hodge does an unbelievable job of anticipating the cut while going into the triple-threat position. He then fakes a potential floater and drops a perfect dime, taking the defender out of the play and facilitating a bucket all in the span of a couple of seconds.
The last two clips display more passing ability from Hodge, who can quickly process the floor, whether there’s an open corner shooter or a teammate cutting to the rack. The one minute and 38 second montage below shows off Hodge’s elite range of inside scoring moves, also adding more footage of great passes, a couple of dunks in transition, and a nice steal and block at the 1:18 and 1:37 marks, respectively.
The 6-foot-6 forward’s pure athletic ability isn’t necessarily off-the-charts. However, his ability to score, rebound and defend at a high level while also anticipating the rotations of his teammates indicates a highly-polished recruit, one who can contribute right away at the Big Ten level.
Symon Ghai Breakdown
Perhaps Northwestern’s biggest weakness of all in 2025-26 is its lack of height, particularly at the center position.
“Obviously we would have loved to have two, three, four seven-footers,” Collins said at Big Ten Media Day earlier in the month.
While the ‘Cats may, for now, be able to make up for their lack of size on the interior with effective small-ball, the addition of Ghai could completely shift the dynamic of this team in 2026-27. The South Sudan native offers elite scoring and shot-blocking potential, and he could take tons of pressure off other Northwestern players who might otherwise play out of position at the five.
During Ghai’s recent campus visit, I stood several feet away from him on the sidelines before NU football’s kickoff against Purdue. Surrounded by Collins, various recruits across sports and a slew of other guests, the 7-foot-3 center towered over all of them.
Ghai is easily the tallest person I’ve ever seen in my life. The eye test confirms it: he has every bit of the height Northwestern needs from its center, and then some.
Ghai’s highlights display everything you’d expect from a 4-star 7-foot-3 recruit and more. He’s a prolific dunker with a limited, but visible range that expands a few feet from the basket, and most of the plays above show that. But what also stands out is Ghai’s ability with the shot fake and the up-and-under, as he routinely sends defenders flying out of their shoes or falling to the ground with elite pump fakes and post moves.
At 210 pounds, Ghai certainly has a solid amount of muscle, but his relatively slight frame may limit his ability to score through contact and be fully impactful on the glass. Still, Ghai could easily be a prolific rebounder, as shown by the clip at the 45-second mark where he fights through contact to grab an offensive board and finish on the other side of the cup. The 52-second mark showcases a nice block from Ghai, and fans will likely see much more of his ability in that area against shorter Big Ten players.
It’s still understandable to be concerned about Ghai’s readiness to play in the Big Ten. After all, he has reportedly only played basketball for about three years at this point, and many teams have fallen into the trap of becoming obsessed with a tall player while ignoring the major red flags in that player’s game. Ghai will also likely have the disadvantage of many missed fouls, as referees tend to swallow their whistles a bit more for potential foul calls that may “even the playing field” against ridiculously tall centers.
However, there’s plenty of reason to think Ghai will become much greater than past 7-foot recruits who didn’t pan out. He plays with tenacity and sees the game very well, having adapted quickly to high-level high school basketball. Ghai’s game is set to improve on a rapid trajectory, and if he continues to grow (both literally and figuratively), the sky’s the limit for his potential.
