The NBA is one of the hardest leagues to make, and NU knows that all too well.
There’s no question Northwestern is a premier athletic institution, each year recruiting hundreds of young athletes from across the country and world to compete in a ruthlessly competitive conference. Most NU sports attract players that fully intend to become professional athletes, and basketball is no exception. However, getting drafted in the NBA is among the tallest tasks of any pro sport. The league contains only 30 teams and 450 players, fielding only half the number of players in the NHL and MLB, and one-quarter of the NFL’s total.
The difficulty is reflected in NU’s recent struggles to make the draft, having not sent a player to the NBA since 1996. With the 2025 NBA draft kicking off on June 25, most ‘Cats fans are holding onto slim hope that Brooks Barnhizer can be the man who breaks the 26-year drought.
Before we find out, let’s dive back into the history books to remind old fans and educate new ones about Northwestern’s history in the NBA draft. We’ll outline each decade’s most notable players who have heard their name called.
1940s
The first-ever Wildcats who made the NBA were both selected in 1947. George Felt was drafted in the 7th round by the Boston Celtics, while guard Ben Schadler was taken by the Chicago Stags (an old team NBA team that lasted a mere four years). Schadler was a multi-sport superstar, having also been drafted in the 1945 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions. Unfortunately, both men’s careers lasted one year, but they deserve credit for setting the precedent and helping NU’s basketball program gain a stronger reputation amid NBA franchises.
1950s
The program saw a huge jump this decade as they sent seven players to the draft, including three in 1959. The most successful of the bunch was Joe Ruklick, who was one of the greatest centers in school history having averaged 19.9 points and 13 rebounds per game. Considering the rest of the team’s stats during the 1950s, those were eye-catching numbers. His star play earned him a spot on the Philadelphia Warriors, where he was drafted in the second round. While his NBA career lasted only three years, Ruklick was famous for assisting Wilt Chamberlain’s final score in his record-breaking 100-point game.
Ruklick, alongside Nick Mantis and Phil Warren, make up the three NU players drafted from the 1958-1959 squad that led the Wildcats to a tie for second place in the Big Ten, which is still to this day the highest they have finished in the conference (the team also tied for second place in 2022-2023). All three members played an integral role, with Mantis leading the team in field goal percentage and serving as team captain.
Aside from those three, Ray Ragelis deserves a mention. Drafted in 1951 by the Rochester Royals, during his Wildcat days he led Big Ten Scoring by averaging 19.1 points per game and broke the then-Northwestern record of 36 points in a single game, also the highest scoring Big Ten single-game performance at that point.
1960s
Although eight players were drafted, most of them experienced short NBA careers that only spanned one year. There were some impressive outliers though. Willie Jones was drafted in 1960 by the Detroit Pistons and ended up playing five seasons as their backup point guard, averaging 7.4 points per game. Jim Burns made history in 1967 as the first NU player to get drafted by the Chicago Bulls, who took him in the fourth round. Burns was a beast while with the Wildcats, averaging 21.5 points and 7.8 rebounds a game.
1970s
This decade saw a slight decline in draft success as only four players made it to the pros. However, among those players was Billy McKinney, one of the top players in school history. He scored 1,900 career points and was the ‘Cats all-time scorer for 35 years. This earned him a spot on the Phoenix Suns. He lasted eight seasons in the NBA despite bouncing around from team-to-team. His best season came with the Denver Nuggets, where he averaged 10.8 points and 4.2 assists. After retiring from basketball, McKinney became a basketball executive for the Bulls — serving as their VP of Basketball operations — before going a much different direction by becoming mayor of small-town Zion, Illinois. He is also the color commentator for NU basketball radio. Both in terms of his college success and time spent in the NBA — both in quality and quantity — McKinney was undoubtedly the most successful player from the 1970s.
1980s
Despite fielding relatively mediocre teams, NU had another spike as they once again sent eight players to the NBA. However, most players were selected in late rounds and were eventually cut by their squad, thus did not actually experience much NBA action. Jim Stack was the headliner of the decade, having been chosen by the Houston Rockets following his time at NU where he averaged 14.1 points per game. This made him the second all-time leading scorer in school history, although he is now slated at sixth. While Stack’s NBA playing career was short-lived, his executive career was far more impressive as he served as one of Jerry Krause’s top scouts during the Bulls dynasty, eventually being promoted to VP of Basketball Operations before accepting a General Manager role with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the early 2000s. The 1980s also saw Andre Goode get drafted in the third round, where he played a season for the Pistons before finding a lengthy and successful career overseas in Europe. Aside from those two, no other player from this decade quite found their footing in the NBA.
1990s
The final decade of the 20th century also marks the last time a Northwestern player was drafted. Evan Eschmeyer, arguably the most talented center in Wildcat history, led the team in both points and rebounds for three straight seasons. He nearly led the ‘Cats to an upset over No. 1 seeded Michigan in the 1999 Big Ten Tournament, which likely would have gone down as one of the greatest victories in team history. After dominating at NU, Eschmeyer was selected in the second round of the 1999 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets. He played four seasons in the NBA, including two with the Dallas Mavericks before injuries cut his career short.
2000-present
Nothing. Not a single Northwestern player has been drafted since the 21st century began. Two decades have gone by and we’re nearing the halfway point of the third. This doesn’t mean the program hasn’t produced great athletes who’ve had a strong chance of hearing their name called (John Shurna and Boo Buie come to mind). The NBA is a tough industry the ‘Cats recently haven’t been able to break into. We’ll see if that can change this decade.