As Northwestern’s class of eight new faces focuses on learning each other’s tendencies ahead of the 2025-26 season, their veteran teacher on the sidelines is rewriting his syllabus.
After season-ending injuries to their high-volume stars plagued the Wildcats’ previous two seasons, coach Chris Collins told reporters Tuesday he expects to spread the wealth around the squad and lighten the load for his top talents in pursuit of a program-fourth NCAA Tournament appearance.
“I’m a big proponent of, every team is new,” Collins said. “There’s a certain way that I’d love to play, but sometimes your team doesn’t fit that.”
For the past two years, Collins has built an identity around a deliberate half-court offense and imposing defense executed by a shallow, veteran-led rotation. But contrary to popular wisdom, the 13th-year coach dreams of a squad that can open the floor, score quickly in transition and be more unpredictable to opponents in the half-court offense.
While recent squad profiles forced Collins to deviate from that vision, this team appears primed to carry it out.
Collins said he plans to play with roughly a 10-player rotation this season, a deviation from the around eight-man depth that he has relied on in recent years. That shift will come with a learning curve as Collins grapples with the reality of his newfound depth.
“It’s trial and error,” Collins said. “Even subbing the other day, I came into the game kind of thinking, ‘Okay, what am I going to do? How many guys am I going to bring in early, and how does that work when I take the first guys out?’”
Collins referenced last year’s Big Ten regular-season champions, Michigan State, as a model for his squad. The Spartans ran a fluid 10-man rotation that evolved night to night, with seven players averaging 7-to-13 points per game.
While NU might carry similar depth, it also comes into the season with a clear No. 1 option in Martinelli, who led the Big Ten in scoring last season with 20.5 points per game. However, he also topped the conference in minutes with 37.6 per game, rarely leaving the floor in the critical home stretch of NU’s schedule.
This season, Collins wants to give Martinelli more time to breathe.
“I really would want him in the low 30s,” Collins said of his talisman’s minute share. “He was in the high 30s last year. I think Nick in the low 30s is going to be at his best to be able to finish games.”
Surrounding Martinelli is a motley crew of new additions, including five freshmen and three players from the transfer portal.
Perhaps the prized possession among Collins’ recruits is freshman forward Tre Singleton, who debuted in Sunday’s exhibition defeat to Iowa State, flashing lethal inside-the-arc scoring in a 14-point effort.
After the contest, Collins mentioned the Jeffersonville, Indiana, native in the same breath as the prolific Martinelli as he discussed his rotation plans.
“I know Nick’s gonna be out there a lot, and I know Tre is probably gonna be out there a lot, but those other guys, it depends who’s playing well,” Collins said.
NU’s three transfer additions — junior center Arrinten Page, junior guard Jayden Reid and sophomore guard Max Green — could each play crucial roles in executing Collins’ refreshed playing style.
Page, filling the void left behind by the departure of five-year stalwart Matt Nicholson, figures to provide improved versatility to NU’s frontcourt. The 6-foot-11 Cincinnati transfer scored 10 points, grabbed four rebounds and swatted two blocks, displaying feistiness in the paint as he got to the free throw line on four occasions.
“He can make a three, he can handle the ball, he can drive it from the perimeter (and) he’s a pretty good passer,” Collins said of Page. “We felt like his skill set was really going to complement Nick well.”
Reid arrived from South Florida after two seasons as the Bulls’ floor general, standing at just 5-foot-10, but bringing electrifying pace to the backcourt. Reid and freshman guard Jake West each missed out on the Iowa State contest with injury, but Collins said during Big Ten Basketball Media Days that he would rely on each to press the ball up the floor at the point guard position.
According to Collins, Reid is probable to play in Wednesday’s exhibition against Illinois State, while West’s timeline is expected to be longer.
Green is a sharpshooter by trade, taking nearly half of his attempts in his freshman season at Holy Cross from beyond the arc and shooting 38%. The La Grange, Kentucky native showed off his range with a deep running three to beat the first-half buzzer against Iowa State.
Green took 11 shots in the exhibition — more than any other Wildcat — and Collins touted his ability to supplement Martinelli’s scoring.
“The preseason has shown we have more players that can get out there (than last year), but I think as we get in the game, the biggest thing that I’ve stressed to our team is that (on any) night, we’ve got to be okay with the group that’s playing well,” Collins said.
Arguably, NU’s biggest positional concern comes at center, which only Page and freshman Cade Bennerman — who didn’t feature against Iowa State — can claim as their natural position. Collins said he plans to counter this weakness by playing small-ball lineups featuring freshman forward Tyler Kropp, Martinelli or Singleton at the five.
Kropp impressed when representing Argentina at the FIBA U19 World Cup over the summer, leading the competition in scoring with 21.7 points per game. Standing at 6-foot-9, he came in at center early on at Iowa State and notched four quick points.
Martinelli, meanwhile, said he would have no issues adjusting to a positional change if called upon.
“You’re either a person who can be adaptable, or a person (who) can’t be,” Martinelli said. “Part of being coachable is doing what is asked… If I’m asked to play the center, if I’m asked to sit on the bench, if I’m asked to pass the ball more, which I probably should, then I’m gonna do it.”
Two players who seldom saw the floor Sunday were senior guard Justin Mullins and sophomore guard K.J. Windham, two mainstays of the ’Cats’ late-season starting lineup last year after Brooks Barnhizer and Jalen Leach each suffered season-ending injuries.
Mullins played 12 minutes, while Windham only saw six as junior guard Jordan Clayton ran the point. Yet, Collins said the minutes distribution in the team’s opening exhibition was not a template for the regular season.
“Tomorrow it could be their night, and some of those other guys that played heavy minutes might be playing 12 minutes or 10 minutes,” Collins said. “We (have) to be okay with that, and we have to use that to our advantage.”
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