Men’s basketball player reviews: Ty Berry

Berry’s fifth year got off to a rocky start, but ended with a solid finish.

As we inch closer and closer to the finish line, next up on our men’s basketball player reviews is Ty Berry, the fifth-year graduate guard who’s been one of NU’s mainstays.

The Good

Berry entered 2024-25 after a career year in his senior season, during which he averaged double-digits for the first time while shooting over 40% from three. Those performances made his late-season knee injury all the more devastating for the ‘Cats. In Berry’s absence, they limped to an underwhelming finish and a Round of 32 exit in the NCAA Tournament. So when he, alongside Matt Nicholson, announced a return for the 2024-25 season, Wildcat fans rejoiced in expectation for the much-awaited return of the sharpshooting guard.

The non-conference slate to begin the season should’ve been the perfect tuneup for Berry as he worked his way back to full strength. But it didn’t go exactly as planned. Berry struggled a lot early, putting up a lot of scoring duds.

But like all good players do, he eventually figured out how to flip a switch. Despite a heartbreaking loss to Iowa that I’m sure all ‘Cats fans would rather forget, Berry put on a show, dropping his first 20-bomb of the season and shooting 5-for-9 from three. That one performance seemed to turn the tides on the Kansas native’s season.

Berry became a different beast once Big Ten play came around, averaging over 12 points per game after the New Year (as compared to just 8.1 points per game before Dec. 31). It seemed Berry was truly elevating into his role as a reliable scoring guard that head coach Chris Collins so desperately needed. Berry was a great complementary piece to star wing Nick Martinelli and a good mentor alongside younger guards KJ Windham and Angelo Ciaravino.

The Bad

Well, I’ve mentioned it already. Berry was expected to be a super important piece for the ‘Cats heading into his fifth and final season. He was slated to play perfectly alongside Brooks Barnhizer and Martinelli, while also being part of a formidable backcourt with fellow fifth-year Jalen Leach. But that didn’t happen.

By no fault of his own, the timing of Berry’s injury played a big part in his slow start. After tearing his meniscus fully in February 2024, the months-long recovery period for the 6’3” senior didn’t allow him the chance to work his way back into basketball until late summer. And even with a couple months of practice under his belt, at the season’s beginning Berry still hadn’t played in a collegiate game in nearly a full year.

In a phenomenon that Collins called “sea legs,” Berry looked very uncomfortable on the floor at times, and never really found his groove offensively for about the first full month of the season. Even when he did eventually get his scoring prowess back, Berry by no means took the final step in his journey that some had hoped for. He mostly looked like a less consistent version of his fourth-year self.

The Bottom Line

Obviously, this season wasn’t a success story for Northwestern basketball. Injury after injury killed any hope of the Wildcats sneaking their way into the tournament. There was plenty of hope for Berry going into the year, with many fans expecting him to be the spark plug who was automatic from beyond the arc and could pop off at a moment’s notice.

And while he didn’t necessarily live up to those lofty expectations, Berry wasn’t bad, either. His shooting still ranked among the best in the conference — he ranked fifth in three-point percentage among all Big Ten players with five or more three-point attempts per game — and his defensive effort was never lacking, either. His 1.3 steals per game was second best on the team behind only defensive menace Barnhizer.

His leadership stood out in a big way, too. As one of the few remaining experienced guys still healthy by the end of the season, Berry’s voice was hugely important as the ‘Cats had to search and search again for their identity throughout the year. Having a guy like Ty was something Collins surely didn’t take for granted, and he’ll be someone NU will sorely miss with a revamped and young roster this coming season.