Northwestern Men's Basketball Offers 4-Star Naperville Swingman

The Wildcats have gotten into the mix for one of Illinois' best young prep players.

Northwestern Wildcats head coach Chris Collins calls out to an official Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, during a 2025 Indy Classic game between the Butler Bulldogs and the Northwestern Wildcats at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As the signature star of the Northwestern Wildcats' single-most successful era ever, swingman Nick Martinelli may prove tough to replace.

The 6-foot-7 Glenbrook South product has been in the midst of a superlative senior season, even as his 8-9 Wildcats have floundered a bit. Looking to build off a 2024-25 All-Big Ten Second Team appearance, Martinelli currently paces the conference in both cumulative points (381) and points per game (23.8).

His 57.3 percent field goal percentage ranks fifth in the Big Ten, his 6.6 percent true shooting percentage is seventh. His 3.3 win shares per bout places him fifth in the conference. His 9.4 box plus-minus is the 17th best in the Big Ten.

Martinelli also has his sights set on possible All-American consideration. Understandably, he was named to the Preseason Watch Lists for both the Naismith Trophy and the Wooden Award this year. He was also added to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watchlist, per Northwestern's official X account.

National Recognition 🤌

Nick Martinelli has been named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List. pic.twitter.com/MdNa00FlIF

— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) January 16, 2026

Martinelli and a pair of junior transfers, guard Jayden Reid and center Arrinten Page, represent the program's highest-impact pieces thus far this season.

Chris Collins and his staff, however, are looking ahead, towards a future beyond the collegiate tenures of Northwestern's Big Three.

The Next Nick Martinelli... Is In Naperville?

Per Louie Vaccher of Northwestern On3 site WildcatReport, the club has offered a four-star high school sophomore from its own backyard. Cole Kelly, a 6-foot-6 small forward at Neuqua Valley in Naperville, has quite the profile.

Northwestern offers four-star 2028 wing Cole Kelly from Naperville (Ill.) Neuqua Valley. https://t.co/q5OaHDMarB https://t.co/5OjYkJJfHu

— Louie Vaccher (@WildcatReport) January 15, 2026

He's the second-ranked player in the state, the 15th-ranked small forward in the country, and the 49th-ranked overall prospect among the class of 2028. That's quite a find for a Wildcats program that has only made the Big Dance three times in its school's history.

Although Northwestern may be the second-closest squad to Naperville to have offered (and one of three Illinois-based programs), it's hardly the only team to have already registered interest in Kelly. Per On3, Saint Louis University, Drake, DePaul, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa and the University of Illinois have all tendered offers to the young swingman.

Kelly is currently striving to maintain an even keel as he continues to develop at the prep level.

“It’s a great confidence-booster, you could say, for me, just knowing the hard work I’ve put in is leading to the big things that I’ve always wanted,” Kelly said of the growing NCAA interest in his game, per Matt Le Cren of the Edinburg Post. “But there’s obviously still work to be done and a long way to go from here.”

_________________________________

_________________________________

Stay up to date with the Wildcats by bookmarking Northwestern On SI.