Next year…Martinelli

[charcat]

Just returned from Sacramento, what a great experience to be there. Some good comments on the board about the progress of Nicholson and Barnhizer that I agree with. One more pleasant surprise was Martinelli, who really started to look like he belonged in the second half of the season. Not afraid to shoot and some nice moves around the basket. I look forward to a nice jump next year given the experience he gained this year.

 

[Hungry Jack]

I like his left-handed-ness. It throws off defenders. But I am pretty sure he scored with his right hand last night.

 

[DaCat]

Martinelli has been a pleasant surprise and a nice addition to the roster by Collins. I also like Hunger who still has 4 years eligibility and a higher ceiling in my opinion. If he can replicate some of the toughness of Verhoeven while adding some offense including a 3 point shot that has to be respected, he could be a big plus next season.

 

[AdamOnFirst]

Refreshing as a usable young rotation guy this year. Interested to see if we see a big development jump next year and the game slows down some.

 

[ThatkidfromHolland]

Martinelli flashed some things but has a lot of development to do. He lacks foot speed and strength on defense. Is only a threat to score with his left hand. Needs to work on playing within the flow offensively and has made multiple freshman mistakes, but hey he’s a freshman. He would have greatly benefited from a RS.

He has nose for the ball especially on the offense glass. Nice touch with his left. Looks like he has a 3. We’ll see how knock down he is as he develops and earns a bigger role. High motor. Freshman to Sophmore year tends to be the biggest jump. He stepped up due to injury and gave it his best. It’s tough as a freshman bright lights to step into that role and he did.

I expect Barnhizer to take a big step up next season. That guy has some serious upside. He got better as the year went along and hopefully next year the shot starts falling.

MN has some work to do offensively. Just being a threat to post someone up would do wonders. Doesn’t have to be really good or dominate just a threat. If he can keep finishing in traffic like he did against UCLA next season he’ll be a threat as long as NU has good guard play. MN is so mobile for 7ft. He positions very well offensively and defensively. Seals rebounders and defenders out of plays. Walls up on defense.

So in other threads temper some expectations as far as numbers. Odds are only Barnhizer scores 10+ pts a game next season. MN doesn’t even need to avg. 10 boards a game to be dominant on the glass. As long as he seals off the other teams big Berry and Barnhizer will clean up. When you have guards who can hit the boards the big seals off.

Overall returning a solid core even without Buie and Audige. Roper returning will be a plus. He was imo the 2nd best perimeter defender and showed some promise offensively but forced it too much. Barnhizer I’m very high on. Hopefully Hunger can replace TVH min from a defense perspective. I have no comment there as I didn’t see enough of him.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Martinelli has been a pleasant surprise and a nice addition to the roster by Collins. I also like Hunger who still has 4 years eligibility and a higher ceiling in my opinion. If he can replicate some of the toughness of Verhoeven while adding some offense including a 3 point shot that has to be respected, he could be a big plus next season.

If Hunger is only comparable to Verhoeven, I will be disappointed. Taller, heavier, stronger, much better at scoring.

 

[ThatkidfromHolland]

If Hunger is only comparable to Verhoeven, I will be disappointed. Taller, heavier, stronger, much better at scoring.

Maybe will be stronger but TVH was stronger as a senior than Hunger as a freshman. Idk that you can say much better at scoring comparing freshman Hunger to senior TVH. Hunger definitely has higher offensive potential if the few minutes I’ve seen imo.

 

[hdhntr1]

If Hunger is only comparable to Verhoeven, I will be disappointed. Taller, heavier, stronger, much better at scoring.

And hopefully doesn't swipe down like Verhoven when he got a good % of his fouls.

 

[phatcat]

Martinelli flashed some things but has a lot of development to do. He lacks foot speed and strength on defense. Is only a threat to score with his left hand. Needs to work on playing within the flow offensively and has made multiple freshman mistakes, but hey he’s a freshman. He would have greatly benefited from a RS.

He has nose for the ball especially on the offense glass. Nice touch with his left. Looks like he has a 3. We’ll see how knock down he is as he develops and earns a bigger role. High motor. Freshman to Sophmore year tends to be the biggest jump. He stepped up due to injury and gave it his best. It’s tough as a freshman bright lights to step into that role and he did.

I expect Barnhizer to take a big step up next season. That guy has some serious upside. He got better as the year went along and hopefully next year the shot starts falling.

MN has some work to do offensively. Just being a threat to post someone up would do wonders. Doesn’t have to be really good or dominate just a threat. If he can keep finishing in traffic like he did against UCLA next season he’ll be a threat as long as NU has good guard play. MN is so mobile for 7ft. He positions very well offensively and defensively. Seals rebounders and defenders out of plays. Walls up on defense.

So in other threads temper some expectations as far as numbers. Odds are only Barnhizer scores 10+ pts a game next season. MN doesn’t even need to avg. 10 boards a game to be dominant on the glass. As long as he seals off the other teams big Berry and Barnhizer will clean up. When you have guards who can hit the boards the big seals off.

Overall returning a solid core even without Buie and Audige. Roper returning will be a plus. He was imo the 2nd best perimeter defender and showed some promise offensively but forced it too much. Barnhizer I’m very high on. Hopefully Hunger can replace TVH min from a defense perspective. I have no comment there as I didn’t see enough of him.

I agree on his defense. He looks like he needs to grow into his body. Strength training and agility drills will help, but he has a way to go. Offense he will probably be fine.

 

[scoobycat]

A full offseason of development will be huge for Martinelli. Think he will put in the work and continue to trend upwards next year. Heard the coaches had to give him certain times he could be in the gym during the season b/c he was there so often outside of practice

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Martinelli tweeted this yesterday...

"What a year. What a group of guys. What a blessing. I will truly miss sharing the floor with each and every one of these guys."

This can mean one of four things...

1. He's transferring.
2. Everybody else is transferring.
3. He will miss practicing with his teammates for a few months.
4. Old dudes shouldn't read too much into social media tweets by 19 year old students.

 

[Hungry Jack]

Martinelli tweeted this yesterday...

"What a year. What a group of guys. What a blessing. I will truly miss sharing the floor with each and every one of these guys."

This can mean one of four things...

1. He's transferring.
2. Everybody else is transferring.
3. He will miss practicing with his teammates for a few months.
4. Old dudes shouldn't read too much into social media tweets by 19 year old students.

He's obviously headed to Duke...

 

[phatcat]

He's obviously headed to Duke...

UNC needs more help

 

[DaCat]

If Hunger is only comparable to Verhoeven, I will be disappointed. Taller, heavier, stronger, much better at scoring.

Hunger obviously would bring a lot more to the table than Verhoeven on offense. I'm just hoping he will be as savvy and effective on defense as TV minus the fouls. Next year he will share time with Big Matt but mostly as the backup.

 

[Sec.112]

... He lacks foot speed and strength on defense.

I agree with your general direction on Martinelli, however, I wonder if it's more his footwork on defense rather than his speed. Too often he was crossing his feet. I also believe he didn't guard the perimeter as much in high school

Maybe I'm just hoping because the footwork is a hell of a lot easier to correct than speed.

For me, Martinelli was a case study in how the college game can be so different than high school. He looked really under control in some games, and like a deer in the headlights in others. I was also surprised how questionable he became at the free-throw line. Last year, he was automatic ... I'm pretty sure in the low 80s.

Anyhow, he did show quite a bit, and much more than I expected. And he stayed ready in a tough situation with Roper. Nice year for the GBS kid.

 

[NCPurplecat]

Martinelli is a scrapper. More offense and less defense than Sanjay but he and Barnhizer are a nice pair to build on. This is a team that is easy root for. Team needs Chase or Boo back assuming getting both would be to good for a Northwestern fan to hope for.

 

[SmellyCat]

I agree with your general direction on Martinelli, however, I wonder if it's more his footwork on defense rather than his speed. Too often he was crossing his feet. I also believe he didn't guard the perimeter as much in high school

Maybe I'm just hoping because the footwork is a hell of a lot easier to correct than speed.

For me, Martinelli was a case study in how the college game can be so different than high school. He looked really under control in some games, and like a deer in the headlights in others. I was also surprised how questionable he became at the free-throw line. Last year, he was automatic ... I'm pretty sure in the low 80s.

Anyhow, he did show quite a bit, and much more than I expected. And he stayed ready in a tough situation with Roper. Nice year for the GBS kid.

I always feel like he's about to fall over. Maybe that's the crossing of the feet you mention.

 

[UpsetAlert]

Martinelli tweeted this yesterday...

"What a year. What a group of guys. What a blessing. I will truly miss sharing the floor with each and every one of these guys."

This can mean one of four things...

1. He's transferring.
2. Everybody else is transferring.
3. He will miss practicing with his teammates for a few months.
4. Old dudes shouldn't read too much into social media tweets by 19 year old students.

5. Or the picture he tweeted included seniors (Chase, Boo, and Tydus) who will likely be moving on.