The sixth-year senior had mild production in his lone season as a Wildcat.
After an in-depth look at the season of NU freshman K.J. Windham, it’s now time to evaluate the year of graduate transfer Keenan Fitzmorris. In his final collegiate campaign, the 7-footer largely did his best work near the end of the regular season.
The Good
Despite a unique, freewheeling style of play, Fitzmorris managed to fit in well as a backup center in a Big Ten basketball environment. Having transferred to Northwestern from Stony Brook, many expected Fitzmorris to face an initial learning curve. Those expectations were validated early on, as he only appeared in three games before the end of 2024, with nearly all of that playing time coming in blowouts against Lehigh and Pepperdine.
However, once Luke Hunger went down with an injury in January, Fitzmorris started seeing more consistent action, and he continued to receive meaningful minutes even after Hunger’s return. In those minutes, there were a number of things to like about the sixth-year senior’s game. Although he was often not the strongest big on the court, Fitzmorris’ defense improved as the year went on, and his improved ability to move laterally and place his body in proper defensive stances became more and more evident in February and early March.
Occasionally, Fitzmorris also had solid games on the glass, most notably when he picked up six rebounds against Nebraska on February 16th. Although that game was Fitzmorris’ only truly prolific rebounding performance, he did typically demonstrate a high-level of effort on box-outs in general. Although he was sometimes beaten to the rim by quicker rebounders, he still demonstrated a full willingness to fight and stick with Northwestern head coach Chris Collins’ hard-nosed philosophy. It’s also worth mentioning (briefly) that Fitzmorris shot 9-of-10 from the free-throw line in 2024-25, which, although a small sample size, is excellent considering the position he played.
The Bad
Despite positives from the season as a whole, Fitzmorris’ numbers weren’t quite up to the standards some fans undoubtedly held. During his time as a Wildcat, the Kansas native averaged just 2.1 points-per-game, with only 23 rebounds in 20 games played. For a player who averaged 10.9 and 4.4 the previous season at Stony Brook, those numbers were slightly disappointing, even when accounting for the stiffer competition present in Big Ten basketball. Although starting center Matthew Nicholson had a decent season overall for Northwestern, the ‘Cats were in need of significant center depth, and Fitzmorris didn’t consistently provide it, even after Luke Hunger’s injury.
Fitzmorris’ 15 blocks also ended up being a relatively low total for a player who played 196 minutes on the season. However, the real concern had to do with his downward trajectory in blocks over time. Nine of Fitzmorris’ 15 blocks came in his first seven games of the year, meaning that his last 13 games featured a relatively paltry six blocks in 130 minutes played. For a player of his size, fans surely hoped that Fitzmorris would impact the game in better ways as a shot-blocker. Instead, his lack of ability to accumulate rejections at the rim placed a severe limit on his defensive potential.
Finally, Fitzmorris saw reductions in minutes during the month of March, when his presence was needed more than ever. He played just eight minutes against UCLA, seven against Maryland, four against Minnesota and under a minute against Wisconsin, failing to see significant playing time when the ‘Cats needed big plays most. During the latter three games of that stretch, it seemed Fitzmorris had largely fallen out of the rotation in favor of Luke Hunger, a reversal of what ‘Cats fans had previously witnessed in late January into early February.
The Bottom Line
Although Fitzmorris wasn’t necessarily expected to be a regular minute-getter in important late-season contests for the ‘Cats, it still was disappointing to see his playing time reduced significantly at the end of the year. Nonetheless, the Stony Brook transfer made his mark on the team during his short time as a Wildcat.
There were many memorable events, including notable big-time defensive stands in various games and a huge dunk against Iowa late in the season. No matter what the criticisms of Fitzmorris were, it cannot be denied that he was a fan favorite, as he frequently received loud ovations and encouragement when he would exit the floor at home. Of course, Fitzmorris’ time at NU is done, but to many ‘Cats fans, he was undoubtedly an important player who often contributed heavily to the team’s energy and success.