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Chris Collins started his basketball career at Glenbrook North High School, where he was named Illinois Mr. Basketball in 1992 before heading to Duke. His head assistant at Northwestern today is his former Glenbrook North coach, Brian James. And now, the Wildcats are adding another Glen Ellyn/Northbrook product, as they added recently Glenbrook South star Dom Martinelli.
So excited to announce I will be committing to Northwestern University!(PWO) I’m so grateful for all my family, coaches, friends, and teammates who have helped me get here. Thank you Coach Collins and the entire staff!! #poundtherock pic.twitter.com/j7hbiu85qq
— Dominic Martinelli (@dom_martinelli3) April 30, 2020
Martinelli announced his commitment on Thursday via Twitter. He will be joining the Wildcats as a preferred walk-on this fall, meaning he will not have to go through try-outs to earn a spot on the roster. Martinelli is the most prolific scorer in school history, holding basically every scoring record.
Glenbrook South Boys Basketball Records - Top 10 in Career Scoring - led by @dom_martinelli3 pic.twitter.com/fZtGkUwCsd
— Glenbrook South Boys Basketball (@TitanBoysHoops) April 22, 2020
In addition to having the most points in school history, Martinelli scored 51 points and 39 points in single games, respectively. If a name on the list above looks familiar, it may be because Jack Cooley had a very respected four-year career at Notre Dame, being named First-Team All-Big East as a senior. He now plays professionally in Japan.
Northwestern has its own connections with Glenbrook South as well. Jeff Ryan, listed above, played five seasons with the Wildcats, scoring over five points per game as a freshman and sophomore before suffering some injuries late in his career. Mike Reeves and Dan Ivankovich played Northwestern basketball after their high school playing days. Also, Northwestern’s offensive line coach Kurt Anderson graduated from Glenbrook South before playing center at Michigan.
Martinelli has proven that he can score against some really solid Chicago-suburb competition. He averaged 26 points per game this season for the Titans on his way to an All-State selection. Despite being 6’5” and skilled enough to play guard at the next level, Martinelli never got the looks he was really looking for. He did receive his first D1 offer recently from University of Missouri-Kansas City.
A lot of schools may see a lack of athleticism and slow shot release as hindrances to success in college. Regardless, Collins will be happy adding a local kid with a great work ethic to the locker room. The Wildcats famous walk-on, Tino Malnati (yes, that Malnati) grad transferred this offseason after playing high school ball at nearby New Trier.