Northwestern Basketball Star Talks NBA Draft Process, Returning to School
A little over a week ago, Nick Martinelli elected to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft and return to Northwestern for his senior season. Wildcat fans everywhere breathed a collective sigh of relief. The forward led the Big Ten in scoring last season and is now primed to be the 'Cats' best player and team leader in 2025-26.
On Monday, Chicago's WGN9 published an article written by Chris Boden and Rick Tarsitano that included an interview with Northwestern's star player. Martinelli spoke about his experience entering the draft process and his ultimate decision to come back to NU.
The NBA Draft process was a dream for @NUMensBball star Nick Martinelli, but the Glenview native decided to return to Northwestern to work on his game & handle some unfinished business
— GNSportsTV (@GNSportsTV) June 4, 2025
"We don’t want to be pretty. We want to be gritty & we want to fight"https://t.co/7JpOIcZnsb
In the article, Martinelli sounded grateful for the opportunity to go through the process and gain valuable experience for next year.
“The process was awesome. Everywhere I went for the workouts, it was just such a blessing. It was a dream, honestly – NBA facilities, seeing players walk through the gym when we were there. It was pretty surreal," Martinelli said.
As far as what he was told by NBA brass, it seems like it went exactly how many of us thought it would. In the article, Martinelli highlighted the importance of knocking down the three-ball at a consistent pace in the pros, something he currently does struggle with.
He said he needs to clean up his mechanics in order to shoot more and shoot at a more accurate clip. Northwestern fans should be thrilled to hear him say this. Remember, while his jump-shot is a little wonky and untraditional, we're talking about the Big Ten LEADER in points per game.
If Martinelli starts to get consistent from long-range, then the entire conference should be on notice. That's a terrifying proposition for defenders still trying to figure out how to stop his patented flipper shot.
Martinelli seemed excited in the interview for one last ride with the 'Cats next year, saying they have "unfinished business." He's been outspoken throughout his career about his love for the university, and he'll now have the opportunity to lead the program next year, following in the footsteps of Boo Buie and Brooks Barnhizer.
“This is a school that a lot of times people just look at as an academic university that doesn’t focus on sports and isn’t worried about sports and is pretty. We don’t want to be pretty. We want to be gritty, and we want to fight," Martinelli said.
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Ryan Cole is a writer for Northwestern Wildcats On SI covering every team on campus. He’s currently a junior at NU where he’s studying journalism and previously wrote and edited for Inside NU. He also studies business with an eye towards eventually helping develop business models to revive local news. In his free time, Cole enjoys watching sports, playing sports, reading the news and singing.