Your one-stop shop for all offseason moves from both men’s and women’s basketball.
The 2024-25 college basketball season came to a close for Northwestern three weeks ago, and both Wildcat teams have been busy so far in this young offseason. Since the men lost to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament on March 13, we’ve seen two players enter the portal, one transfer come to Northwestern, Chris Collins sign an extension and Joe McKeown announce his retirement after the 2025-26 season — and that’s all before Florida cut down the nets in San Antonio.
As the offseason continues, Inside NU will update this article with any new news to keep track of what both basketball teams have been up to ahead of the 2025-26 season.
April 4: Redshirt sophomore forward Luke Hunger enters the transfer portal
Northwestern redshirt sophomore forward Luke Hunger announced via social media that he will enter the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. The 6’10 big man has two years of eligibility remaining. In his statement, Hunger added that a return to Northwestern is possible as well.
If the sophomore big man does transfer out, the Wildcats will have an extra scholarship spot available on their roster — one that they will undoubtedly need to use to find another big man. Class of 2025 signee Cade Bennerman is poised to be the tallest player on the 2025-26 roster at 6’11, with another 2025 recruit behind him in Tre Singleton at 6’8. Nick Martinelli would be the tallest returner at 6’7, and his Wildcat future is up in the air after declaring for the NBA draft earlier this week.
April 4: Chris Collins signs contract extension to remain in Evanston until at least 2030
After weeks of rumors connecting Collins to numerous high-profile job openings across college basketball, Northwestern announced that it reached an agreement to keep the most successful men’s basketball coach in its history in Evanston.
Per Northwestern Athletics, the contract extension runs until 2030, a two-year increase from Collins’ previous contract which lasted until 2028.
According to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, the agreement includes a pay increase that “will put him among the top coaches in the Big Ten in terms of salary and compensation.”
April 3: USF guard Jayden Reid transfers to Northwestern
Reid averaged 12.1 points, 3.6 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals as a sophomore during the 2024-25 NCAA season, leading USF in total points, assists and steals.
He was a sharpshooter during his freshman season in Tampa, putting up a ridiculous 47.5% clip from three while taking over 40% of his shots from behind the arc. After averaging 6.8 points, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game, he was named to the 2023-24 AAC All-Freshman Team. His shooting splits dipped a little as his role expanded in his sophomore season, but Reid still finished as a solid 35.8% shooter from distance.
Out of high school, Reid was ranked as a three-star. He originally picked the Bulls over SMU, Dayton and VCU, among others. It is worth noting that Reid is a little undersized at 5’10 and 161 pounds, but the New York native had no trouble as far as physicality goes in the AAC.
April 2: Junior forward Nick Martinelli declares for the NBA draft
The 2024-25 Big Ten scoring leader announced that he would be putting his hat in the ring for the 2025 NBA draft while maintaining his NCAA eligibility.
Boo Buie (2023) and Brooks Barnhizer (2024) previously declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining their college eligibility, with both opting to return to Northwestern.
Regardless, NU’s 2025-26 season outlook will largely hinge on Marintelli’s decision.
April 2: Valparaiso forward and Northwestern transfer target Cooper Schweiger commits to Wake Forest
The 6’10 sophomore averaged 15.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game this season while earning All-MVC second team honors. He was scheduled to visit Northwestern on April 11 before announcing his commitment to Wake Forest.
April 1: Youngstown State center and Northwestern transfer target Gabe Dynes visits Northwestern
The 7’3 center averaged 6.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game last season as Northwestern looks to the portal to replace both Matthew Nicholson and Luke Hunger.
March 24: Joe McKeown announces he will retire after the 2025-26 season
The Northwestern women’s basketball head coach is the longest-tenured and winningest coach in program history.
McKeown led Northwestern to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2021, and his ‘Cats were poised to be at least a No. 3 seed in 2020 before the tournament was canceled due to COVID, but he failed to win more than nine games in each of the last three seasons.
March 17: Redshirt freshman forward Blake Barkley enters the transfer portal
The former three-star recruit only appeared in four games this season for Northwestern.