Mike Schrage is the man (I like Martinelli)

[NUCat320]

Dude left Elon head coaching gig for a ‘Special Assistant to the Head Coach’ gig at Duke. Martinelli was released from his Letter of Intent and fell into our lap.

And a dude who had originally committed to a 7-11 CAA Program is suddenly playing big minutes for a B1G Title Contender.

Martinelli is such a good player. Those ‘right place right time’ offensive boards don’t happen by accident.

I assume most other fan bases are really starting to hate him.

 

[Username Not Available]

His D needs some hard work and I like him getting the minutes and experience. When he was on the court it seemed MSU went at him and I thought he did pretty good, but he loses his man in the corner worse than Boo does.

At the same time, he seems to be in the thick of things on O, he's a fighter, he goes after the ball better than most of his team mates, and I think he was a net benefit tonight.

 

[JournCat]

I live for the disappointment in Robbie Hummel’s voice every time a defender lets him go left.

 

[ThatadultfromHolland]

Martinelli has made significant strides in improving his defensive footwork compared to last year. Although he may not possess the quickness to become a lockdown defender, his defense has undoubtedly improved. He has showcased a remarkable motor and a keen sense for the basketball since the previous season. Additionally, he has been highly active on the glass, displaying an impressive ability to position himself well and seemingly always be in the right place at the right time. Furthermore, his soft touch around the basket is noteworthy.

In terms of offensive play, Martinelli has played much more within the offensive this year as compared to last year. Despite the opposition's awareness of his tendency to go left, he utilizes his exquisite footwork and skillful hip fakes to maneuver his way around the basket. Martinelli is the scoring option for the team's bench unit.

Both Martinelli and Hunger, in their initial seasons of receiving consistent playing time, have left room for improvement defensively. If they can enhance their defensive abilities to become decent defenders, their offensive potential in the upcoming seasons could be truly exciting. It is important to highlight that Martinelli's defensive game has made some big strides over the off-season and is well on his way to that goal, although there is still room for further growth.

Nevertheless, he contributes significantly to the team in every other aspect, particularly when putting his ability into context with his role as the sixth man.

 

[GatoLouco]

Good takes IMO. His defense still poses problems but the dude has improved dramatically.

I too chuckle every time Robbie Hummel says don't let him go left. Because it's painfully true, but one of those things easier said than done. Not too hard if you are well aligned with a player, but when in movement and all, becomes hard to contain.

I love NM, what a find for out team.

 

[SmellyCat]

It was even funnier when Hummel predicted, "he's going left!" as if to warn MSU last night. He's clearly seen enough of NM to know when that move is coming. We all know WE do.

 

[phatcat_rivals223240]

His D needs some hard work and I like him getting the minutes and experience. When he was on the court it seemed MSU went at him and I thought he did pretty good, but he loses his man in the corner worse than Boo does.

At the same time, he seems to be in the thick of things on O, he's a fighter, he goes after the ball better than most of his team mates, and I think he was a net benefit tonight.

He's a bit better than last year on D. He still has clown feet.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Having been "way out there" in writing (December 2022) that Martinelli and Hunger both looked like they'd be pretty good, I'm glad to see the consensus catching up to them.

I was at Welsh Ryan for the disaster against Pitt, Thanksgiving weekend 2022. Both played hard and were not intimidated. Both attacked the basket. Both had Big Ten bodies. As freshmen they didn't like losing. That sort of thing matters a lot.

Yes there were a bunch of naysayers around here, but quite a few people picked up on Hunger and Martinelli early on, saying that they both needed minutes asap. That second group nailed it.

 

[CSCatFan1]

Having been "way out there" in writing (December 2022) that Martinelli and Hunger both looked like they'd be pretty good, I'm glad to see the consensus catching up to them.

I was at Welsh Ryan for the disaster against Pitt, Thanksgiving weekend 2022. Both played hard and were not intimidated. Both attacked the basket. Both had Big Ten bodies. As freshmen they didn't like losing. That sort of thing matters a lot.

Yes there were a bunch of naysayers around here, but quite a few people picked up on Hunger and Martinelli early on, saying that they both needed minutes asap. That second group nailed it.

Were people writing off two true freshman that had played only a handful of minutes? That would be akin to writing off Jordan Clayton based on his limited minutes thus far. Hard for me to believe that was the case.

 

[freewillie07]

I was at the Detroit Mercy game where he put up a career high 22 points.

I very much hope when all is said and done that won’t be his career high.

 

[xxxbobxxx]

Were people writing off two true freshman that had played only a handful of minutes? That would be akin to writing off Jordan Clayton based on his limited minutes thus far. Hard for me to believe that was the case.

The true scouting report on them was revealed on the premium basketball board.

Btw - I was w pwb on the mart and hunger bandwagons early.

 

[Catreporter]

Martinelli had 16 and was MVP of the DePaul-NU game at Wintrust. If not for him, Cats would have another really bad loss on their resume.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Were people writing off two true freshman that had played only a handful of minutes? That would be akin to writing off Jordan Clayton based on his limited minutes thus far. Hard for me to believe that was the case.

I can't tell if you are being sarcastic... I think so, but I'm not sure!

Fwiw, my impressions of Clayton so far as not as positive as my immediate impressions of both Hunger and Martinelli last year.

It remains possible/likely that "Doctor" Gragg screwed Collins when he told the world Collins was probably going to be fired. If that class doesn't pan out - its on Gragg.

 

[elgatoloco_rivals308553]

Most true freshmen are weak defensively. The game's going too fast and they haven't had to play it seriously yet.

Nick's a junkyard dog, and I love him. He reminds me of the gym rats who used to play at Gonzaga before it became a national program. You need guys like this on your team.

 

[SmellyCat]

I hope Nick never shaves his head. I truly believe his curly mop makes people underestimate him.

 

[Hungry Jack]

He kinda resembles the character Ratatouille

 

[SmellyCat]

 

[UpsetAlert]

He kinda resembles the character Ratatouille

Luigi

 

[techtim72]

Thank goodness. I thought Hungry might be referring to the rat.