If you are Martinelli, do you stick around for next year or hit the portal?
- Thread starter DocCat2
- Start date
Wisconsin lost Hepburn and Storr, their two best players. Also lost some more. Found a way of staying competitive with a guy that, though very good at Colorado State, was stapled to the bench at a bad Misouri team. Guard undeniably COY.
Not saying we don't have a tough road W/L wise ahead. But it's not inevitable we won't be compeitive.
Not saying we don't have a tough road W/L wise ahead. But it's not inevitable we won't be compeitive.
It's a question I've been thinking about a lot the last few weeks.
I suspect it depends on how he feels about Mullins, KJ, and Angelo by the end of the season. He's not going to be happy with this year's results, and he likely realizes that next year's team won't be as good as this year's team could have been, so if he stays he probably won't sniff the tourney again.
But by all accounts he has a really strong relationship with Collins and maybe that will be enough.
I suspect it depends on how he feels about Mullins, KJ, and Angelo by the end of the season. He's not going to be happy with this year's results, and he likely realizes that next year's team won't be as good as this year's team could have been, so if he stays he probably won't sniff the tourney again.
But by all accounts he has a really strong relationship with Collins and maybe that will be enough.
I highly doubt he leaves. Anything is possible but he is a serious student who wants his degree, is not an NBA prospect (let’s be real), NU took a chance on him when no one else would, he would likely be the center piece of the offense next year and his family is all in Glenview so can see him every home game. I’d say 5% chance he leaves.
Not to mention that his brother Dom had a chance to get his NU degree and transferred to St. Thomas up in Minnesota.
So maybe educational bragging rights plays into it.
But you know there will be teams offering him money - there are no rules on this anymore - and the scumbags are everywhere.
That's a strong point, I guess I have been assuming he will get his paper at the end of this year. If that's not the case, I like his chances of staying and finishing a lot better, thanks.
regarding money, it seems NU would be able to make a strong offer, there really is no one else commanding big bucks on the team.
Mind you, I'm talking out of my rear here bc I don't know the kid... but... I'm sure other programs will take a run at him behind the scenes, yet I don't think we need to worry. He saw first-hand how Pete and Ryan left and NU was still competitive. I don't think he cuts bait on the program when he's the clear-cut leader. Seems like the sort of guy who would want the challenge and would feel like he was letting down a program that believed in him when few others did. And that's not even considering the family living nearby and the degree of it all.
Tonje played only 8 games at Mizzou because of a foot injury which he actually suffered before the season. Mizzou's loss turned out to be Wisconsin's gain. Mizzou was awful last year (0 for conference) but has achieved a miraculous turnaround. Most of their top guys are transfers.
Tonje is a great player.
There has to be some good transfers out there that would love to start in the Big Ten. Do we have room for 3 transfer starters?
Think these are the scholarship players-
Five freshman
Angelo Kj
Martinelli
Mullins clayton hunger Barkley
Leaves three spots. More if we lose a guy or two. But it can tricky because need to have room for guys the following year, need to keep that in mind if we target guys with more than one year of eligibility. I’m no expert on this stuff btw.
Five freshman
Angelo Kj
Martinelli
Mullins clayton hunger Barkley
Leaves three spots. More if we lose a guy or two. But it can tricky because need to have room for guys the following year, need to keep that in mind if we target guys with more than one year of eligibility. I’m no expert on this stuff btw.
I think Mart stays. He has been to the dance his first two years at NU. He should get a very nice NIL deal and he is a local guy and will be the undisputed leader of next years team. Let's see what NU does in the portal as they have to make some very nice additions to make next year's squad a winner.
Some people have talked about Clayton or Barkely transferring. I'll bring up another name and that is Luke Hunger. He has dropped off the cliff and does he see himself with any playing time going forward at NU.
Some people have talked about Clayton or Barkely transferring. I'll bring up another name and that is Luke Hunger. He has dropped off the cliff and does he see himself with any playing time going forward at NU.
Luke will probably wait to see what Collins can find in the portal for next years' graduate transfer center to replace him.
PWB: I do not know what you mean by “the scumbags are everywhere”. I really hope that NU pays Nick a salary that will keep him at home and that he earns his degree from NU.
But, if another employer chooses to pay him a sum so grand he would be foolish not to take their job opening, then I would have no harsh feelings about either employer or employee.
Why would you?
(Terms used in the above post are used with intention.)
The following Nick piece is a well-produced, promo piece. It will probably be cut up and used for many local recruits to come.
I can be a pretty cynical guy. But listen to Nick around 2:40. I'd bet that's a guy who's not going anywhere.
I can be a pretty cynical guy. But listen to Nick around 2:40. I'd bet that's a guy who's not going anywhere.
Thanks for posting the video. Enjoyed watching it.
Is it me or Luke Hunger was slimmer last year? You can see him a couple of times at the end of the video, in the Maryland highlights.
Is it me or Luke Hunger was slimmer last year? You can see him a couple of times at the end of the video, in the Maryland highlights.
I think he was wearing a lot of dark jerseys last year, and we are wearing more white this year
Not sure if you are being facetious.
Surely you know what I mean when I say there are scumbags running all around the periphery of college athletics - or in the coaching ranks.
In this day and age you can never be sure, but our NIL and House resources are such that we can make him very well and competitively compensated to stay in a place he's done very well, that ought to be able to develop existing pieces and add a transfer or two to compliment him and build a good team, and where he can graduate before having an opportunity to play European basketball with a potentially very well-paid future.
Right and last year they had to work with Barnhizer Berry and Nix. This year the majority of the attention and dollars should go to Nick.
Not at all being facetious.
What constitutes being a scumbag? If people made it known to Nick that he would be paid $1MM at Scumbag U. while NU would only pay $650K, that itself is not evidence of being a scumbag.
The players are employees of the University. They are not on multi-year employment contracts. If they find a job that better serves their interests, why should the recruiting employer be deemed a scumbag?
In fact, what if all along, “we” were wrong? What if the “scumbag” programs had it right by trying to compensate their employees all along? Maybe it was the NCAA’s gross “amateurism” formulation that was the scummy move all along.
I gotta say as a youngest brother of three boys, a lefty, a kid who grew up in Glenview, and a kid who went to GBS, I dig Nick and his game and I'm always rooting for him.
Am I wrong or does Martinelli not get the love he deserves from cars fans? People comment on his lack of efficiency, and his deficiencies, that he isn’t a great passer and that he forces some shots.
The guy is the last man standing, likely lead the big ten in scoring, provided the cats with multiple game winners (other than buie how many cats players can claim that), and he is only a junior, that never complains, and plays nearly 40 mins/night. Seems like the guy is sometimes taken for granted by the fanbase, or am I wrong?
Yeah having a free education, a guaranteed job for life (degree + network) and getting to play a sport is so “scummy.” Give me a break.
I'm not sure about him not getting the love. I think most like him. I know I do.
But, anyway, efficiency as it relates to him this season should be thrown out the window. Which I think is your point. He is by now hounded by every team, double teamed, specific game plan. On top of that, he has to take a lot of shots just because others will not, he has to make something happen. It was, to a great extent, even before Brooks went down like that. Berry was MIA, Leach took a while to come together. Now, it's on steroids.
Last edited:
If Martinelli were a hot dog, he would be smothered in mustard, relish, onions, chopped tomatoes, celery salt, and a pickle wedge.
The part that confused me is that you are projecting something that doesn't exist. At least not yet.
"The players are employees of the university."
Is KJ Windham getting a W-2 from Northwestern?
They're students as far as I know.
Scumbags are people who operate outside the rules, no matter what the rules are, to enrich themselves.
I think Nick Martinelli gets a lot of love - and he deserves it. But there are weaknesses to his game. He's not a good defender (not saying he's bad, he's just not a +). The efficiency argument, as Gato points out, is tricky, because he is asked to do so much. But he is not good at passing when he is doubled. I think his mindset is that he has to score. Its understandable to a point, but he regularly ignores (or doesn't see) opportunities to give the ball to a teammate for an open look or a dunk. I'd rather have him make the pass.
To me thats just making an honest evaluation. People can disagree,
I think Nick gets a lot of love from us fans.
But I like to look at the criticisms against him as coming from the measure of perfection. How could he improve his game? Sometimes it's more or other than that as fans have their own agendas and axes to grind, but that's pretty easy to ignore once you've been here long enough.
McHale was 6-10 while Nick is only 6-7 and Kevin had a very hard shot to block. I love watching Martinelli but he has weaknesses in his game. I can't see any team breaking the bank to get him while I think NU will provide him with a nice NIL package. He's a little like Dawson Garcia of Minnesota in that they are both local guys and Garcia decided to stay with the Gophers for his final season despite their dim prospects and his presence has made them a competitive team.
Serious question...
Why would the Big Ten include non-conference games in determining the individual scoring title?
Doesn't make any sense to me.
Trey Kaufman-Renn is averaging 20.4 ppg in conference games. Nick is 4th at 19.9
Why would the Big Ten include non-conference games in determining the individual scoring title?
Doesn't make any sense to me.
Trey Kaufman-Renn is averaging 20.4 ppg in conference games. Nick is 4th at 19.9
Similar threads
