A long, successful career in Evanston came to an end.
An old adage rang true for fifth-year guard Ty Berry this season: It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish.
In many ways, Berry’s season was a microcosm of his Northwestern experience. A slow start, a gradual heat-up, a major setback and finally, a strong ending.
His 2024-25 season really started last February. In a home game against Nebraska, Berry landed awkwardly while going for a layup. He walked off under his own power, but didn’t return. It was later announced that the sharpshooter had a torn meniscus and would not play the rest of the season. Not only did that rule out Berry from Northwestern’s NCAA Tournament appearance, but it also precluded him from practicing for nearly nine months.
A knee injury is especially challenging to overcome for a guy who relies on his three-point shot as much as Berry. A shooter needs to have good lift and a strong landing. Even once his knee was fully healthy, there was a small part of his mind that didn’t trust that he could lift properly and land soundly.
It took a mid-season benching to get his mind right. For the first time since his sophomore year, Berry came off the pine in a Jan. 16 home game against Maryland. He scored 15 points in a Northwestern win and didn’t look back the rest of the year. Berry pointed to that game as the turning point in his season. He said he felt like he regained his confidence after being moved to the bench,
In the era of constant player movement, Berry’s five years at one school is somewhat of a rarity. But the benefits of staying put became quite clear this season.
“Credit coach Collins for keeping me confident,” Berry said. “A lot of coaches would have quit on me and coach Collins had the ultimate belief in me that I’d get back to where I was.”
Had Berry decided to take his talents somewhere else for his graduate season, his early season struggles may have sentenced him to life as a deep reserve. However, the built up trust between Berry and Collins gave the former a long leash to regain his form and allowed Collins to trust in Berry’s positive response to being moved to the bench. Injuries eventually forced Berry back into the starting lineup, but he continued his strong play. After struggling to the tune of 6.7 points through the first 15 games, Berry averaged an even 14 points a game for the final 17 contests and shot 40% from beyond the arc.
The trust between player and coach shines on the floor too. When his number is called, Berry is given a lot of freedom to find his shot. His favorite is curling off of floppy screens on the baseline.
“It’s kind of fun because I can just run around without having to go a specific way. Just pick whatever direction I want to run off and catch guys off guard,” Berry said.
Ty Berry was the star in the Northwestern win over Indiana yesterday with 23 points on 7 made threes. In the second half, Chris Collins did a terrific job scheming up looks for Berry, particularly out of “floppy” sets. Let’s take a look at some of the best ones
— Eliav Brooks-Rubin (@eliavbr5) January 23, 2025
Berry excels off of floppy actions. His best shooting game this season came against Indiana where he was 7-for-10 on threes, including four on floppy actions that you can find in the thread above. Because of the read-and-react nature of the floppy set, it’s not one that Collins runs much for his younger players like K.J. Windham and Angelo Ciaravino. But Berry’s veteran experience and the mutual trust he shares with Collins earned him the liberty to cut and weave around screens until he finds a seam.
Berry was never a star on the conference level, even during his very impressive senior season. But around the program, there have been few players more impactful to the culture and grit that has been established in the last few years. When Brooks Barnhizer and Jalen Leach went down with injuries, Berry stepped up. He expanded his game, handling the ball more often and taking on more of a shot creator role. In one of the more surprising performances of his career, Berry recorded 15 points without hitting a three in a win at Ohio State. It was the only time in his career he scored double figures without connecting on at least one triple.
Throughout this season Berry struggled, persevered and evolved to find success — much like Northwestern during Berry’s tenure in Evanston. After his final game in the purple and white, Berry acknowledged the ups and downs of his career.
“My first two years that I got here was hard and we were in the doghouse, but you know, just to dig it out these last three years and do some special things, I can honestly say that I left this place better than I found it. And honestly, that was the whole goal.”