Donning a No. 27 practice pinnie and baggy blue shorts, Nick Martinelli stepped onto the hardwood floor at Wintrust Arena.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he wore Northwestern\u2019s No. 2 jersey, the Glenview, Illinois, native never lost in the building, scoring 40 points across two games against crosstown rival DePaul. But at the NBA Draft Combine on the same court, Martinelli admitted \u201cthe competition upped,\u201d a challenge the Wildcats\u2019 senior forward welcomed all the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never knew that I was going to have the opportunity, or even thought or fathomed that I would have the opportunity to work out for NBA teams, let alone make it to the NBA Combine,\u201d Martinelli said. \u201cIf you\u2019re disciplined and you just stay the course every single day, you get out there and roll the balls out, and it\u2019s just like you\u2019ve done it so many times, it just comes to you naturally.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The NU veteran finished his collegiate career with back-to-back Big Ten scoring titles, becoming the first player in the conference to score 20-plus points against the other 17 Big Ten teams in a career. Despite one of the most prolific careers in program and conference history, he still may not hear his name called on draft night.<\/p>\n
ESPN\u2019s NBA Draft analyst Jeremy Woo\u2019s mock drafts are well-respected. Woo was in attendance at Welsh-Ryan Arena when Martinelli and the \u2019Cats held a 16-point lead over eventual national champion Michigan, its largest deficit of the season, before a second-half collapse. Heading into the combine, ESPN\u2019s official mock draft had projected Martinelli to be pick No. 58 to the New Orleans Pelicans.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Martinelli knows there are concerns about his unique style of play, but isn\u2019t shying away from how it\u2019s helped him get to where he is.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone\u2019s always told me, \u2018It doesn\u2019t look good\u2019 or \u2018You don\u2019t pass the eye test.\u2019 I hear it all the time,\u201d Martinelli said. \u201cObviously, it gets to me a little bit, but at the end of the day, I\u2019ve truly been blessed with gifts from God like the touch and the way that I move. I see it as a blessing; other people might see it as a curse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn matched up against the Wildcat phenom six times across four seasons. Twice, the players stood on opposite sides of the court as seas of purple stormed the floor following the \u2019Cats\u2019 upsets over No. 1-ranked Purdue squads.<\/p>\n
The Boilermakers earned the last word, however, defeating NU in the third round of the Big Ten Tournament at the United Center in March.<\/p>\n
As Martinelli checked out for the final time of his college career, Purdue fans rose to their feet and gave the \u2019Cats star a standing ovation, a moment Martinelli later said he had to rewatch to fully appreciate.<\/p>\n
Kaufman-Renn said he joined in the applause and reflected on how he has seen his long-time opponent \u201cgrow and be productive as a basketball player.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s super unorthodox,\u201d Kaufman-Renn said. \u201cJumps on his free throws. Weird form. Shoots flooters. Everything about him screams untraditional, but he\u2019s productive, and he plays his ass off. Somebody like me, as a player, you can\u2019t give him enough respect.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Martinelli earned his respect on the court in the 5-on-5 segment of the combine, racking up 18 points and three rebounds in his first game and 13 points and five rebounds in his second. After spending most of the season double- or triple-teamed, the 6-foot-7 senior said that it \u201cdefinitely felt good to cut freely\u201d through the lane and score some easy baskets.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beyond the stat lines, Martinelli\u2019s efforts were apparent. Playing in scrimmages on the same team as players like Kansas\u2019 Flory Bidunga and Vanderbilt\u2019s Tyler Tanner, who may return to college, Martinelli showcased a different type of hunger, diving on loose balls and making the team huddle during stoppages of play.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a second-round guy, you want to have somebody that\u2019s super confident as a leader,\u201d Martinelli said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what type of opportunity this is for me, I just want to play the right way and respect the game every time and work my butt off.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
NU\u2019s star announced that he interviewed with the Minnesota Timberwolves and has plans to meet with a \u201cdecent amount\u201d of teams, including the Dallas Mavericks. Martinelli added that he worked out for four or five teams last year and worked out in front of the Charlotte Hornets before the combine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One team left off his list to work out with is his hometown Chicago Bulls, he said, adding that it would be an amazing experience and \u201cyou never know\u201d what the cards have in store.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The combine wasn\u2019t all business for Martinelli, as he got to play and hang out with some of the top players in the country. He highlighted that it was especially great to \u201cchirp a bit\u201d of trash and \u201cpick the brains\u201d of his former Big Ten competition.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of those players was Ohio State\u2019s Bruce Thornton. He, Kaufman-Renn and Martinelli are three of only 22 high-major scholarship players who played all four years at one school. Thornton said he was impressed by not only Martinelli\u2019s play on the court but also his character and work ethic.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat he accomplished at Northwestern, it definitely was an honor to play against him,\u201d Thornton said. \u201cIt was great playing against dudes like him that give it his all, and he gave it his all to that Northwestern program.\u201d<\/p>\n
With all the time spent in Evanston, the \u2019Cats senior has a lot of goodbyes to say. Coach Chris Collins came to support Martinelli, not from the sidelines, but from the stands. The fifth longest-tenured coach in the Big Ten cheered on his former player during the first day of 5-on-5 scrimmages, but also had things that he was \u201cnitpicking.\u201d Martinelli praised how honest Collins has been to him, though, calling it \u201ca blessing\u201d and that it helps keep him \u201cstable.\u201d<\/p>\n
With former NU guard Brooks Barnhizer receiving an invitation to the G League Elite Combine last year, he has also been able to assist Martinelli with preparation, with Martinelli calling Barnhizer \u201ca role model\u201d along with his other big brothers in the program.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always am trying to get Coach (Collins) to have an alumni day where everyone comes back,\u201d Martinelli said. \u201cWe\u2019re always sending videos and texting in our old group chat, and after games, we got guys like Chase Audige or Robbie (Beran), watching the game at 3 a.m. where they\u2019re at, texting me. The camaraderie has just been the best thing at the school, so that\u2019s probably what I\u2019ll miss most.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Martinelli\u2019s freshman year roommate, Luke Hunger, is a part of that bunch. Hunger said that Martinelli told him the coaching staff intended to redshirt him and use him as a \u201cdevelopmental piece.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Hunger, it was clear that the coaches couldn\u2019t keep his former roommate on the bench for long, believing that \u201cthere\u2019s no one in the country who wants to win more than Nick.\u201d The 6-foot-10 forward called back to the pair\u2019s freshman-year game against Iowa, where Martinelli had a season-high nine points and showed off his patented left-handed hook.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know he\u2019s going to get drafted,\u201d Hunger said. \u201cI know people probably will think that his game doesn\u2019t translate or anything, but I definitely think he\u2019ll make the next level.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although he\u2019s been in the limelight for most of his collegiate career, Martinelli has always had a team-first mindset. The senior constantly shifted the spotlight off his individual achievements to highlight the play of others in postgame press conferences throughout the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In those press conferences, Martinelli would always sit in the \u201clucky left\u201d chair, but at the NBA Combine, there was only one chair for him. Without missing a beat, Martinelli explained that this stretch of his career still isn\u2019t individual.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI got teammates here, I get to point to them a little bit,\u201d Martinelli said. \u201cObviously, we only have a couple days together, but I have a team with me every day, my trainer and people who work me out every day. That\u2019s my team.\u201d<\/p>\n
At 10 a.m. on May 15, Martinelli worked out in front of select media and team officials at his Pro Day. Showcasing his quick decision-making, post-up moves and even a windmill dunk, he put on a display for those in attendance. While most of his game seemed polished, the career 36.2% 3-point shooter seemed to have trouble getting his shot to fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Consistency on his 3-pointer and working on his athleticism were some of the pieces of feedback that Martinelli received last year when he tested the NBA Draft waters before returning to NU<\/a>, a decision he said he doesn\u2019t regret. At the combine, his three-fourths court sprint was the third slowest and his no-step vertical leap was the fifth-worst.\u00a0<\/p>\n As Martinelli walked off the floor following his workout, a new wave of prospects entered Wintrust Arena. Iowa\u2019s Bennett Stirtz, Illinois\u2019 Andrej Stojakovi\u0107 and several other high-profile names passed by Martinelli as they prepared for their own Pro Days. Along with them came an influx of scouts, coaches and media members who had not been present during Martinelli\u2019s session.<\/p>\n Purdue\u2019s Braden Smith was among that group. The 2025 Bob Cousy Award winner and three-time All-Big Ten selection finds himself in a situation similar to Martinelli\u2019s: two highly accomplished Big Ten players trying to prove they belong in NBA draft conversations despite feeling overlooked by many evaluators.<\/p>\n \u201cHe knows we are in the same conversation as being underrated and doing those things,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI don\u2019t think he really needs an explanation because he knows that he is capable of showing that he belongs and that he can play, because he\u2019s good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n On May 19, Woo released his new post-combine mock draft. He projected Martinelli to the Atlanta Hawks with the 57th pick, one spot higher than in his previous mock draft.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now, Martinelli waits. Sixty picks stand between the \u2019Cats star and the chance to play his favorite game at the highest level.<\/p>\n But when asked where he hopes to hear his name called, Martinelli kept his answer characteristically simple.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cProbably any team I get to go play basketball at and go get to dribble the ball,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Yoni Zacks contributed reporting.<\/p>\n Email: [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n X: @charlie_perlman<\/a><\/p>\n Related Stories:<\/p>\n \u2014 Men\u2019s Basketball: Brooks Barnhizer reflects on \u2018lifelong connections\u2019 at NU following NBA<\/a><\/p>\n Draft<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Men\u2019s Basketball: In Purdue loss, Nick Martinelli\u2019s swan song is a solo<\/a><\/p>\n