It was strangely poetic as senior forward Nick Martinelli exited Welsh-Ryan Arena for the final time after Northwestern’s 70-66 loss to No. 15 Purdue, right in front of his soon-to-be replacement, four-star recruit and incoming freshman forward Jayden Hodge.
In an era defined by NIL and the transfer portal, four-year, one-school players have become rare — making the Boilermakers (23-7, 13-6 Big Ten) core trio of Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn a statistical anomaly after spending their entire careers in West Lafayette.
As Purdue mounted its comeback, coach Chris Collins watched a rarity in modern college basketball, and perhaps a blueprint for what he hopes to build in Evanston.
“I’m not against transferring, there’s a new landscape, and things are always evolving, but man, to me, there’s still value in the journey of a four-year journey,” Collins said postgame Wednesday.
This year, the Wildcats (13-17, 5-14 Big Ten) have started their most freshmen since the 2019-20 season. That year’s freshman class was headlined by NU’s all-time leading scorer Boo Buie and former forward Robbie Beran, two players who helped lead the ’Cats to a second-round appearance in the 2023 NCAA Tournament and earn Collins the Big Ten Coach of the Year award.
Wednesday’s senior night ceremony marked the final home games for Martinelli and guard Justin Mullins, but it may have also been the last time several other NU players took the court at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Sophomore K.J. Windham appeared poised for a breakout season after an impressive freshman campaign, but has played just 11 minutes since the start of the new year. Windham could be a player to explore other options this offseason, as he has gradually been phased out of the rotation.
Holy Cross transfer Max Green may be exiting Evanston nearly as quickly as he arrived. The 6-foot-6 sophomore guard joined the ’Cats after averaging 14.9 points per game and winning Patriot League Rookie of the Year, but has not appeared in a game since NU’s loss to No. 5 Illinois on Feb. 4.
Freshman guard Jake West is another potential transfer candidate. The two-way playmaker has built a following of more than 1,000,000 on TikTok — an audience that could translate to significant NIL opportunities at a larger program. On the court, West has flashed his talent, recording the most assists by a ’Cats freshman since former guard Bryant McIntosh in the 2014-15 season.
These potential departures leave Collins and his staff doubling down on a familiar approach — investing in NU’s young core and building a roster around players who develop over multiple seasons in Evanston.
In Wednesday’s game, the ’Cats were down two with under 20 seconds remaining when freshman forward Tre Singleton threw an errant pass that led to a turnover and game-sealing free throws for the Boilermakers. The 6-foot-8 Jeffersonville, Ind., native has the tools to become an All-Big Ten caliber player, but his youth and inexperience have been prevalent throughout the season.
That play encapsulated the dilemma Collins faces this offseason. Singleton and Hodge are set to take the court together next season as the two highest-rated recruits in program history per 247Sports, and the pressure is on for Collins to build a roster capable of returning NU to the NCAA tournament.
After flatlining in the second half of the ’Cats’ loss to then-No. 2 Michigan, the fourth-longest tenured head coach in the Big Ten stood firm in his principles.
“Nobody is playing a lot of young guys right now, and we’ve kind of made the decision to grow our young players and hopefully that will pay dividends, which I believe it will, down the road,” Collins said.
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— Men’s Basketball: Northwestern falls to No. 15 Purdue in heartbreaking 70-66 loss
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