Nick Martinelli (basketball)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Martinelli for the 2025–26 Northwestern Wildcats | |
| No. 2 – Northwestern Wildcats | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward |
| League | Big Ten Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Glenbrook South (Glenview, Illinois) |
| College | Northwestern (2022–2026) |
| Career highlights | |
Nicholas "Nick" Martinelli is an American basketball player who played college basketball for the Northwestern Wildcats of the Big Ten Conference. He was 2-time second-team All-Big Ten honoree, 2-time first-team Academic All-America selection and 2-time Big Ten scoring champion. He set the Northwestern single-season scoring record.
The Martinellis had a basketball hoop in their driveway.[2] Martinelli attended Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, Illinois. He is the younger brother All-state player and Illinois High School Association record book achiever Dominic Martinelli.[3][4] Oldest brother Jimmy started for NYU from 2016 through 2020.[5]
Martinelli had endured years of Glenbrook South mediocrity while cheering on his older brothers Jimmy who graduated in 2016 and Dom who was in the class of 2020.[6] Prior to the 2018-19 season (Nick's freshman year) Glenbrook South had had only 1 10-win season in the prior 4 and one 15-win season since 2006.[7] That year, Dom helped Glenbrook South turn around a 9-19 record from the previous season (and back-to-back 9-win seasons) into a 24-win season and an IHSA Class 4A regional championship.[2][8] Jimmy had been a good player on sub-.500 teams.[6]
One of his earliest moments in the basketball spotlight came as a sophomore in a February 21, 2020 overtime game against Evanston Township High School, when he was fouled on a game-tying three point shot buzzer beater attempt. After making the first two and enduring a time-out, he missed the final free throw. This opened the door for Evanston to have a share of the Central Suburban League South division. The teams split the season series, and both teams finished with 9–1 division records.[9] Glenbrook South moved to a 29–4 record with a 65–49 win against Maine West High School in the Class 4A Regional championship on March 6, 2020.[10] As of March 12, the IHSA cancelled all remaining winter sports activity due to COVID-19, denying Glenbrook South a chance for a sectional championship or better.[11]
As a junior, he averaged 21.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.[12][13] As a senior, he averaged 22.8 points per game, finishing his high school career with 1,331 total points.[14] He was named to the 2022 Associated Press Class 4A First-Team All-State along with Braden Huff, Owen Freeman, Dai Dai Ames and AJ Casey.[15] Martinelli originally committed to Elon University to play under head coach Mike Schrage.[16] After Schrage resigned as head coach at Elon, Martinelli decommitted from the Phoenix.[17] A three-star recruit, he committed to play college basketball at Northwestern University.[18]
College career
After playing sparingly as a freshman,[19] Martinelli's role increased as a sophomore.[20] As a junior, Martinelli emerged as the team's leading scorer.[21] In the season opener against Lehigh, he recorded a double-double, tallying 26 points and 10 rebounds.[22] Against Maryland, he scored 22 points and hit the game-winning shot in overtime, helping lead the Wildcats to a 76–74 victory.[23] Martinelli set the Northwestern single-season scoring record as a junior, surpassing John Shurna (661 points).[24] He finished his junior season with 676 points.[25] He was a 2025 2nd team All-Big Ten selection by both the Big Ten media and Big Ten coaches.[26] Martinelli repeated as a 2026 2nd team All-Big Ten selection by both the Big Ten media and Big Ten coaches.[27] The national Associated Press media selectors recognized Martinelli as a 2026 first team All-Big Ten selection.[28] He led the Big Ten in scoring twice with a 2025 average of 20.5 and a 2026 average of 23.0.[25] Martinelli was named first team Academic All-America in both 2025 and 2026.[29][30] He is the second Wildcat to be named first team Academic All-America in back-to-back season (Shon Morris: 87, 88).[31]
Martinelli concluded his Big Ten career with the following Northwestern Basketball records:[32]
- single-season points (759)
- single-season Big Ten tournament points (77)
- career Big Ten Tournament points (139)