Northwestern Forward Nick Martinelli Lands on Wooden Award National Watchlist
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Nick Martinelli’s rise has been nothing short of spectacular. Not just claiming it, he is proving things in the court. Especially now, as the national spotlight is officially locked onto the Northwestern senior. The standout guard’s electric start to the 2025–26 season has earned him a well-deserved place on the John R. Wooden Award Men’s Preseason Top 50 Watchlist. Announced Tuesday by the Los Angeles Athletic Club, the list highlights the country’s top student-athletes.
Record-Breaking Stats Define Northwestern Star Nick Martinelli's Return
Martinelli’s name appearing among the elite shows the momentum of a record-breaking 2024–25 season straight into his senior year.
The Wildcat's forward returns to Evanston as one of the most prolific scorers in college basketball. Last season, the Glenview, Illinois, native averaged 20.5 points per game. This made him only the fourth Wildcat ever to lead the Big Ten in scoring. His scoring average was Northwestern’s highest since Evan Eschmeyer put up 21.7 points per game back in 1997–98.
The athlete holds Northwestern’s single-season scoring record with 676 points, surpassing John Shurna’s mark of 661 from 2011–12. His total was also the most by a Big Ten forward since Iowa’s Keegan Murray scored 822 points during the 2021–22 season. He set another program record with 251 field goals made, beating Shurna’s previous total of 228.
The star player has followed his dominant junior year with an equally sharp opening act to the 2025–26 season. Through four games, he is averaging 20.5 points and 6.5 rebounds while extending his streak of 15-plus-point performances to 22 games. He has scored at least 17 points in each game so far, with two defining early-season showings.
Against DePaul, he delivered 24 points and iced the 81–79 victory by sinking two pressure-packed free throws with 3.5 seconds left to break the tie. Against Boston University, he contributed 20 points and nine rebounds in a commanding 76–52 win.
That's also where Northwestern turned defense into offense by scoring 18 points off 14 turnovers. This made the team win the fast-break battle 12–5 and dominate with a 40–16 scoring edge.
Some Wooden Award Context and Basketball Pedigree
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Wooden Award, with special season-long programming led by the award’s first winner and ambassador, Marques Johnson. The celebration will culminate with the 2026 John R. Wooden Award presented by Principal on April 10, 2026, at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
Martinelli’s basketball roots stretch far beyond Northwestern. He scored 1,331 career points at Glenbrook South High School. There, he averaged 22.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game as a senior while guiding the Titans to a 33–3 record. He earned first-team Class 4A all-state honors from both the Associated Press and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. With that, he also ranked as the No. 7 player in Illinois according to 247Sports.
Coming to his family, his brother Dom played at Northwestern as a preferred walk-on in 2020–21 before moving to St. Thomas. If that wasn't the utmost motivation, his eldest brother Jimmy was also a four-year starter at NYU from 2016 to 2020.
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Shayni Maitra is a sports girl through and through writing about everything from locker room drama to game-day legends in the NFL and NBA. She’s covered the action for outlets like College Sports Network, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, NB Media, and PinkVilla, blending sharp takes with a deep love for storytelling. Whether it’s college football rivalries, Olympic gold-chasers, or the off-field chaos that keeps Twitter alive, Shayni brings the heat with heart—and just the right amount of humor.