Five things to know about new NU commit Nick Martinelli

Northwestern head coach Chris Collins didn't have to go very far to land the second member of his Class of 2022.

Nick Martinelli, a 6-foot-7 wing, hails from Glenbrook (Ill.) Glenbrook South, located just a few miles northwest of campus.

But, ironically, it took a coaching change in North Carolina to get Martinelli to Evanston.

Here are five things to know about Northwestern's newest Wildcat.

1. He's a former Elon commitment: Martinelli committed to Elon, a Colonial Athletic Association school in North Carolina, last July. He had had a strong showing on the EYBL circuit that month with the Meanstreets AAU team, but signed with Elon in November.

Then head coach Mike Schrage left Elon to take an assistant job with Duke in early April, so Martinelli was released from his letter of intent. Northwestern was one of 11 schools to offer Martinelli a scholarship within a week of his announced departure as he become a hot commodity in a dwindling 2022 recruiting market.

2. He's a versatile player: Martinelli is a wing who showed the ability to shoot from the perimeter, get to the rim and handle the ball at the high school level. He should fit Collins' vision of "positionless" basketball.

The Wildcats like to play with a point guard, a post and three interchangeable wing players. Martinelli can occupy one of those three wing spots, though he is probably best suited to play small forward.

3. He put up some big numbers in high school: Martinelli had a standout senior year at Glenbrook South that certainly boosted his recruiting stock

The left-handed scorer averaged 22.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while leading the Titans to a 33-3 record and a berth in the super-sectional final.

Martinelli finished his career at Glenbrook South with 1,331 points.

4. His offer list won't wow you: Northwestern was the only Power Six program to offer Martinelli. The other 10 schools that offered him after he left Elon were Belmont, Illinois State, Miami (Ohio), New Orleans, Northern Illinois, Toledo, UCSB, UIC, Valparaiso and Western Illinois. That’s not exactly a murderers' row.

The questions about Martinelli probably center around his athleticism and quickness, particularly on the defensive end.

5. His name should be familiar: If the name Martinelli rings a bell, it's because his older brother was a Wildcat.

Dominic Martinelli, a 6-foot-4 guard, was a walkon who played for Northwestern for one season, in 2020-21. He appeared in just four games, tallying a total of eight points, four rebounds and an assist. Dominic left NU to transfer to St. Thomas (Minn.).

Another older Martinelli brother, Jimmy, played basketball at NYU.

Martinelli joins 6-foot-9 big man Luke Hunger in Northwestern's 2022 class. Those two will certainly help NU address a critical need after losing three front-court players.

However, the Wildcats still have some work to do to fill out the roster. The program lost forwards Pete Nance and Elyjah Williams, and guard Ryan Greer to graduation (though Nance, it should be noted, has yet to officially enter the NBA Draft). In addition, center Ryan Young elected to transfer.

With the number of 2022 prospects limited by this point, expect Northwestern to fill most, if not all of their remaining needs through the transfer portal.