Northwestern Basketball Star Withdraws From NBA Draft, Will Return to School

The Wildcats' presumptive best player in 2025-26 isn't going anywhere.

Mar 12, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Northwestern Wildcats forward Nick Martinelli (2) shoots the ball while Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Frank Mitchell (00) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Last year's Big Ten scoring leader will officially be back in purple for another season. Senior forward Nick Martinelli had previously entered the NBA Draft process to test the waters while maintaining his college eligibility.

Today was the last day for Martinelli to withdraw from the draft, and while he kept folks on the edge of their seats for awhile, the decision is in. Jon Rothstein reported the news on X.

Source: Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli is withdrawing from the 2025 NBA Draft and will return to school next season.

Averaged 20.5 PPG last year and will be one of the top players in the Big Ten in 2025-26.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 29, 2025

While somewhat expected, this is huge news for Northwestern. Martinelli averaged a whopping 20.5 points per game last season, and he was arguably the 'Cats' best player. Brooks Barnhizer was certainly the heart and soul of the squad and probably its best all around talent when healthy, but he missed the back half of the season with a foot injury.

After the news broke, Martinelli himself made a post on Instagram to announce his return captioned "It's us." The post includes pictures of Martinelli's returning teammates and a short video featuring head coach Chris Collins.

Northwestern has set itself up nicely for the future, welcoming in its highest ranked recruiting class ever this season. But the optics for this coming year's squad hinged quite a bit on Martinelli's decision. Without Martinelli, tournament hopes may have been dashed. With Martinelli, this is an entirely different team.

Entering the draft and then withdrawing has been a common move for Northwestern's best players in recent memory. Boo Buie did it two years ago. Barnhizer did it last year. It's a good way to see where you stand and figure out what you need to work on.

Who knows what NBA brass told Martinelli about his game, but there should be no doubt in his scoring ability. It is certainly unorthodox at times, but No. 2 can put the ball in the bucket. What they may have told him, though, is that his jump shot needs work, especially from long range. Martinelli shot just 33% from three last year during his break-out campaign.

Martinelli will take another season to work on his game and try out the draft process all over again next year. Northwestern fans should be ecstatic to have the presumptive leader of next year's team officially back in Evanston.