Martinelli
- Thread starter benoitdenizetl
- Start date
Martinelli really did some good out there. Love it seemed like he rushed his free throws, but not sure if I’m right.
Verhoeven’s very late swipe without fouling was a game-changer.
Martinelli and Barnhizer are the future of the program. Both should be playing as much as possible.
Verhoeven’s swat was clean and huge. Bummer he missed the front end, of course.
I enjoyed when he made his first entrance and the play-by-play referred to Tydus as “instant offense…ive rebounding.”
Martinelli is on the right trajectory for a rotation role next year, and a starting role as a junior.
I enjoyed when he made his first entrance and the play-by-play referred to Tydus as “instant offense…ive rebounding.”
Martinelli is on the right trajectory for a rotation role next year, and a starting role as a junior.
Yes, Barnhizer reads the ball very well; reminds me of Jerry Lucas that way.
He has led the team in rebounding several games with limited playing time.
Last edited:
Can't emphasize enough how important Barnhizer is to the team. First to the floor, leaves space to track down rebounds, all sorts of hustle and toughness out there. His offensive game will improve.
He's going to be one of the most hated players in the Big Ten in a couple of years.
He's going to be one of the most hated players in the Big Ten in a couple of years.
Martinelli has been a very pleasant surprise as I don't think a single one of us thought we'd be getting anything from him this year. He's been a nice rotational piece on the offensive end and seems to have a high basketball IQ (gets in position for rebounds, makes smart cuts, etc.).
All that said, he still has a lot of work to do. He's not a great shooter and has a lot to work on the defensive end of the court. I agree he is going to be a good player for us (somebody used the word "star", which seems a little much to me, but we'll see), but with a team on the bubble for the tournament, this is not the time to be playing him as much as possible to just get experience. When Roper is healthy, Martinelli's minutes will be pretty limited and IMO that's how it should be at this point.
Again, this is not a knock on him at all. He's been an excellent surprise and has been WAY better than I expected. I also believe he has a bright future, but I think we need to pump the breaks just a tad and also realize what he is at this point and what his role is on this team.
Martinelli has shown a lot of hustle which is awesome to see. He shown flashes offensively and has a nose for the ball. There’s definitely some work to be done defensively as well as just working within the flow of the offense. I’ve seen him get lost offensively in a couple plays and some defense lapses. Defense is that hardest part of jumping up a level in difficulty. I haven’t seen enough of his outside shot to develop an opinion. Playing within an offense is difficult and will take time as well.
The biggest areas for improvement for him I’ve seen so far can easily be solved with time in the program. Defense, offensive flow, and weight room are areas we should always see jumps in players year to year. He’s shown that he has the potential to be a solid player for NU in 1-2 years. If he has/gets an outside shot and scores well within the flow could be very good for NU. Way to early to project star or anything imo. Obviously as we see him play more the picture will become more clear and areas of improvement will be less broad.
The biggest areas for improvement for him I’ve seen so far can easily be solved with time in the program. Defense, offensive flow, and weight room are areas we should always see jumps in players year to year. He’s shown that he has the potential to be a solid player for NU in 1-2 years. If he has/gets an outside shot and scores well within the flow could be very good for NU. Way to early to project star or anything imo. Obviously as we see him play more the picture will become more clear and areas of improvement will be less broad.
He is a freshman and I think a lot of his "shortcomings" that were pointed out above will be solved with experience/work ethic. The fact that he did not play for almost 2 months and is positively contributing in Big 10 play is impressive. Shows a lot of mental toughness for an 18 year old kid to be ready when your name is called after not playing for so long.
Yeah, it's clear he is still trying to get a handle on the offense and defense. It's also obvious he's paying attention to the game around him and playing hard for the team - going for the rebound, boxing out, and taking the shot when it's good instead of abandoning the opportunity and passing the ball to an upperclassman.
I especially like that part about taking the shot when it's good because I see too much of our guys underneath looking to pass first and missing easy points.
I especially like that part about taking the shot when it's good because I see too much of our guys underneath looking to pass first and missing easy points.
i expect Martinelli will be shooting a lot of free throws at practice this week. Excellence from the line has helped us win several games this year and scoring is at a premium for this team. Wisconsin going 5-for-11 from there, including a key late 1-and-1 miss, helped cost them the game, and their 9-for-16 effort in Evanston did too.
His FTs were very rushed. He needs to soften up his shot a little from the line. I realize it's easy to be a critic, but I really can't understand how any player gets to the level of being a Division I scholarship basketball player without having taken 1000s of free throws in their life and perfected their stroke. Maybe they developed bad habits when they were young and didn't have the strength yet to use proper free throw form.
Are you saying we exhibit irrational exuberance?
This is Northwestern, mind you. We are desperate for a savior.
Do not underestimate the amount of dubious coaching in the pre-college ball. Didn’t HJ post about his kid facing a zone in middle school ball?
When I moved to Indy nearly 4 years ago I went to a game at my local high school. It's Indiana I figured. It's a large school with around 3,200 schools. Faced the likes of Trauce Jackson Davis in recent years. I was horrified by the lack of basic fundamentals.
I met one of the assistant coaches when I went to a parent-teacher meeting as he was my kid's math teacher. He sounded to me like a very basic *****.
Not saying Martinelli did not get good coaching. I don't know. But I could point out that his cuts are those of a 12-year-old, done at the same speed, usually fast. If there's one thing that makes players easy to guard is to execute at the same speed. Even if that is a fast speed.
I'm not sure I've ever heard this phrase used by anyone other than a teenage girl. Please explain to us oldsters what a "very basic *****" is in the context of a high school math teacher/assistant basketball coach.
My experience is really different. There's no shot clock here in Michigan, and most teams play slow, especially in the tournament, where games are often in the 30s. Even with the slower pace, lots of TOs and bad shots because of a lack of IQ and skill. Only 5%-6% of the players you see will make it to the next level.
And that is as it should be. For 90% of high school athletes, the experience should be about having fun, learning to work as part of a team, gaining self-confidence, maybe impressing an attractive member of the opposite (or same) sex. Sure, they should work on being the best players they can be, but achieving the skill and/or sports IQ of a division one athlete shouldn't even be on the radar for most of these kids.
Some of these middle school kids have fallen in love with the euro-step. It makes me want to gouge my eyes with a spatula.
Just to follow up on Nick Martinelli... The guy has size - that was evident back when NU released the team photo for the season. (standing between Verhoeven and Barnhizer he looked more like Verhoeven) He committed to Elon in July of 2021, then grew a little bit, added muscle and exploded in the subsequent high school season. (Similar to Nicholson in that way)
"I don’t train for making easy layups against bad teams. I train for making big shots against good teams and in important moments"
Here's the thing. When Martinelli, Verhoeven and Barnhizer have been on the court together, NU has played well.
17-14 against Nebraska in 7 minutes. 6-5 against Minnesota in 3 minutes. 17-16 against Iowa in 7 minutes. 5-5 against Michigan in 2 minutes. 11-6 against Wisconsin in 9 minutes.
Overall thats 56-46 in about 28 minutes.
By contrast, when Martinelli has been on the court with Nicholson, we have been eviscerated.
3-11 against Nebraska in 3 minutes. 5-4 against Minnesota in 2 minutes, 2-11 against Iowa in 4 minutes, 0-0 against Michigan, 10-16 against Wisconsin in 7 minutes.
Thats 20-42 in about 16 minutes.
This gives Coach Collins a nice, clean, productive way to rotate his frontcourt players.
Nicholson with Beran then Verhoeven with Beran or Martinelli (and Barnhizer).
Avoid Nicholson with Martinelli.
"I don’t train for making easy layups against bad teams. I train for making big shots against good teams and in important moments"
Here's the thing. When Martinelli, Verhoeven and Barnhizer have been on the court together, NU has played well.
17-14 against Nebraska in 7 minutes. 6-5 against Minnesota in 3 minutes. 17-16 against Iowa in 7 minutes. 5-5 against Michigan in 2 minutes. 11-6 against Wisconsin in 9 minutes.
Overall thats 56-46 in about 28 minutes.
By contrast, when Martinelli has been on the court with Nicholson, we have been eviscerated.
3-11 against Nebraska in 3 minutes. 5-4 against Minnesota in 2 minutes, 2-11 against Iowa in 4 minutes, 0-0 against Michigan, 10-16 against Wisconsin in 7 minutes.
Thats 20-42 in about 16 minutes.
This gives Coach Collins a nice, clean, productive way to rotate his frontcourt players.
Nicholson with Beran then Verhoeven with Beran or Martinelli (and Barnhizer).
Avoid Nicholson with Martinelli.
I know you mean well, but please don't compare any of our players to that dirty, flopping, 45-year-old jackass.
Joe Crispin--yes, that Joe Crispin--disagrees. He's coaching now. I heard him on a podcast and he said let kids shoot that s---. Here's a blog post he wrote on it:
Let Kids Shoot It
Even with good to great shooters, that confidence and mentality is hard to build. Fletcher Loyer missed a lot of shots at the middle-school, HS and AAU levels to get where he is now.
Well.... that sure seems to be the Chris Collins approach to coaching and it drives most of us crazy! I still think there is a difference between a good shot and a bad shot. I am all for taking every good shot - open shots, shots where you have time to get your feet set and your shoulders square. That can mean a three-point shot if it's a good three point shot. What defines a good three point shot becomes very narrow the younger you get. A middle school kid would probably struggle to shoot 20% from three in a game, but if they are open and can get their legs under them, then sure... take it. But only the NBA players and the really special college players can take those 3's where they are stepping back or stepping to the side or shooting on the move.
As an Ohio kid I grew up watching the great OSU teams. I remember seeing an interview with Lucas after he left college, and he told a story that went like this. He didn’t believe in boxing out; his strategy was to read where the ball was going or where it was likely to go based on where it was shot from. He would be in position and go to the rebound/ball and not worry about blocking someone out. In practice he would block out because that is what the coach wanted him to do, and so he did it as the team leader, but in the game it was completely different, and that is how he was such a dominant rebounder even though he was only average height for a center, and not a great jumper. It drives me crazy when I see a player shoot from the corner, but the players on the weak side do not position themselves for a shot that goes too long; instead they often move to the front of the basket …no no no!