Chris Collins Reveals New Offensive Approach for Northwestern Basketball

Northwestern men's basketball will look completely different this season, and head coach Chris Collins is already giving fans an idea of what to expect.

With 11 new players on a 14-man roster, the Wildcats are entering the 2026-27 season with a fresh identity. And following the departure of star forward Nick Martinelli, Collins is preparing to make some significant changes to Northwestern's offense.

Speaking at Big Ten Media Day on Thursday, Collins explained that fans should expect more movement, cutting and screening as the Wildcats look to create scoring opportunities throughout the lineup.

"I think you're going to see a little bit more movement with this year's team, cutting a little bit more, off-ball activity and screening activity that's going to lend itself more to our team," Collins said.

He also believes Northwestern could have five or six different players capable of leading the team in scoring on any given night.

That would be a major change from what Wildcats fans have grown accustomed to seeing.

Last season, Northwestern relied heavily on Martinelli, who averaged 23 points per game and led the Big Ten in scoring for the second consecutive season.

Martinelli was the centerpiece of Northwestern's offense, consistently finding ways to score despite receiving significant defensive attention.

Replacing that type of production will not be easy.

However, Collins believes this year's roster has the pieces to approach the game differently rather than relying on one player to carry the scoring load.

Instead of running much of the offense through one dominant scorer, Northwestern could spread the responsibility across several players.

That could make the Wildcats a more unpredictable team offensively.

With more cutting, off-ball movement and screening actions, Collins wants to create opportunities for players to get open rather than forcing difficult shots.

And Northwestern has brought in several experienced players who could benefit from that approach.

One of the biggest additions is Bellarmine transfer Jack Karasinski, who arrives in Evanston after establishing himself as one of the nation's most productive scorers last season.

The Wildcats also added Colin Smith from UC Santa Barbara and LA Pratt from Northeastern, giving Collins additional offensive options on the perimeter.

Those additions, combined with returning guards Jake West and Angelo Ciaravino, give Northwestern several players who could contribute in different ways.

West showed his playmaking ability as a freshman, averaging 5.3 points and 2.8 assists per game. His ability to distribute the basketball could become especially important in an offense that emphasizes movement and finding open teammates.

Ciaravino, who averaged 6.3 points and 3.9 rebounds last season, will also have an opportunity to take on a larger role as one of the team's few returning players.

Of course, having several potential scoring options does not automatically guarantee offensive success.

With so many new faces, Northwestern will need time to develop chemistry and learn how to play together.

That could be one of the biggest challenges for Collins early in the season.

Players will need to understand where their teammates prefer the ball, how to execute screening actions and when to make the extra pass.

But there is also plenty of opportunity.

Without Martinelli commanding so much of the offensive attention, different players will have chances to step up and become major contributors.

One night, that could mean Karasinski leading the way offensively. Another night, it could be West, Ciaravino or one of Northwestern's other newcomers.

That is exactly the type of balance Collins hopes to establish.

The Wildcats finished last season 15-19 overall and 5-15 in Big Ten play, missing the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year.

Getting back to the postseason will require significant improvement, especially in a conference filled with talented and experienced teams.

But Collins is embracing the opportunity to build something different.

Northwestern is not simply trying to replace Martinelli's production with one player. Instead, the Wildcats are looking to create an offense where multiple players can contribute and opposing defenses cannot focus all their attention on one scoring threat.

There will certainly be growing pains with such a dramatically different roster. However, Collins has made it clear that this season's offense will feature a different approach.

For Northwestern fans, that could mean more ball movement, more scoring opportunities across the lineup and a team that looks much different from the one they watched last season.

Now, the challenge will be turning that vision into results when the Wildcats take the floor.