Boo

Buie did just that. He has a close bond with senior teammate Robbie Beran, who recently transferred to play at Virginia Tech with his final year of college eligibility. Beran and Buie became close friends during their freshman year, and both expressed how important it was to them to build something special at Northwestern.

“Boo and I were always on the same mental,” Beran says. “Boo is my brother for life.”

Beran says he and Buie clicked early on. From the very first practice, Beran could see how talented Buie was. The two went through tough times together, losing a lot of close games in their first three seasons. But heading into their senior year, Beran and Buie did not let their past losses get to them. Beran says the team never got too high or too low and just stayed the course. He largely credits Buie’s steadiness for Northwestern’s turnaround season.

The pair lived together junior year and often played video games or Monopoly in between class and practice. The senior duo has come a long way, and Beran says he is incredibly grateful for their bond.

“It’s weird how Coach [Collins] randomly selected a kid from Albany and a kid from Richmond and four years later — boom: That’s buddy, bro,” Beran says.

With Nance and Young gone, Buie, Beran, guard Chase Audige and forward Tydus Verhoeven were the elder statesmen for the Wildcats. This year, Northwestern focused on rebuilding, with secondyear guards like Brooks Barnhizer and Julian Roper II featured as key parts of the team’s lineup. Third-year center Matthew Nicholson, who played very little his first two seasons in Evanston, slid into the starting lineup as well.

The team had a meeting over the summer once everyone got on campus, and Buie was impressed by how quickly they connected.

“It was a really heartfelt meeting,” Buie says. “I was like ‘Wow, we haven’t even practiced together.’”

That initial meeting set a tone for the team. From then on, Buie says the group was open-minded and incredibly honest. With players listening and holding each other accountable, the team could connect off the court, unlike previous seasons.

“In past years, I felt like there were a lot of cliques on the team between classes,” Buie says.

The Wildcats made team-bonding trips to local restaurants and bowling alleys. While the team has hung out like this in past seasons, Buie says it happened more often this year.